Surrey Charity looking to provide homeless people with some festive cheer
The Hope Hub is fundraising to provide homeless people in the area with shelter, food and gifts over the festive period
A Surrey homeless charity is hoping to raise money in hopes of supporting those who are struggling or facing homelessness this winter.
The Hope Hub are looking to raise £3,500 in order to look after people for the 9 days during the Christmas period.
Chief Executive of the charity Mags Mercer told us about the need for extra support during that time
"Homeless people were not able to be accommodated or fed over the whole festive period, which many people don't realise that all statutory services close. This year happens to be nine nights.
So what we're doing is we've launched our winter giving campaign and we're asking people to get behind us and support us to be able to put homeless people that are engaging with us into safe accommodation for that nine day and night duration."
This is the charity's seventh time doing this initiative, with their first being back in 2018.
Mercer explains how dignity and hope is a big part of what they hope to provide those that are struggling.
"What we seek to do is to give people dignity over that period. And what we find and we have found consistently over each year is that in January when they re-engage with us and everything reopens, they have had that safe time to really reflect and choose generally to say, right, this is the year I want to change my life"
During the nine day period, the Hope Hub will provide both a Christmas meal, something Mercer says some of the visitors have never had before.
"We have a festive buffet one day and then we have a full festive meal another day and it's really amazing. And for some people it's the first time they've sat down at a Christmas meal.
One young lad said to me last year. He said I've never ever had a a a Christmas meal like this or had gifts. He's he was 28."
The gifts given out are all meant to be something that will be practically useful to those that need them, such as a waterproof, or a backpack, or shoes.
Mercer points out that the nature of Christmas can be tough for those on hard times
"One of the reasons is that many people actually have very painful emotions associated with Christmas and the whole Christmas period because their growing up situations weren't necessarily as comfortable as you and I might have had.
They may never have had a stable family network. They may never have been able to celebrate, had presents, had other family members."