Alabaré launch winter appeal to support Salisbury’s homeless
The charity says as little as £5 can go a long way
Last updated 23rd Nov 2023
Salisbury-based homelessness charity Alabaré has opened its winter appeal, in a bid to help rough sleepers during the coldest months of the year.
They launched their campaign with a video, which depicts a homeless man collecting some cardboard and searching for a place to spend a winter’s night.
According to National Statistics for homelessness, last winter saw more than 13,000 people die whilst sleeping on the streets – an 85% increase on the previous stats from 2019.
With our support, Alabaré will be able to continue offering a warm space, food and a shower to the homeless.
Our donations will help fund a special Christmas dinner for residents at their homes, as well as the early stages of support for people finding themselves homeless this Christmas.
The power of listening
In the video, the homeless man is approached by an Alabaré staff member, who brings a hot drink for the man.
The Charity’s Operations Manager, Vanessa Bedford, told Greatest Hits Radio that listening is a lot of what they will do.
“A lot of our work is just sitting there and listening to someone’s story, letting them complete it,” she said.
“I think, what that video brings home is that somebody actually took the time of day to sit by that person and to talk to them or to listen to them,”
How far just £5 can go
But of course, that needs funding and the charity appreciates that times are tough for everyone in the current economic situation.
However, Vanessa says even donating a fiver can go a long way.
“Someone will give me £5 and they'll say ‘I'm really sorry, it's only £5’, but that £5 is 15 minutes of staffing time, £10 is half an hour of staffing time.
“That's 1/2 an hour somebody can talk to somebody who is homeless or need someone to talk to.”
Giving people the tools to recovery
During the conversations Alabaré’s staff have with people living on the streets, they’re able to give them the tools to begin turning their lives around.
Vanessa feels that giving people ownership of their journey makes it more likely for them to make progress.
“If somebody does it for themselves, they're more likely to follow it through.
“It's that old thing about taking a horse to water, but you can't make it drink.
“It's the same with rehabilitation. Someone's got to be ready and in the right place.”
We can donate to Alabaré's winter appeal here.