A HOMELESS charity has spoken of the challenges it is facing after a fall in donations throughout the Covid-19 pandemic.

Threshold, which has been in Swindon for 48 years, has set a fundraising target of £50,000 for this year’s Big Sleep Out for the Homeless event and is encouraging everyone to take part.

This year’s event on December 11 will see people participate from work or home, sleeping out in their garden, garage or sitting room with the radiator off to raise awareness of the plight of the homeless as well as sponsorship.

Interim head of assertive outreach Jason Biggs said: “The pandemic totally quashed our usual calendar of fundraising activities.

“Fundraising is crucial to Threshold and has been over the entire course of our close to 50 years of service in Swindon.

The charity provides temporary accommodation, support and outreach services to homeless people in Swindon. It aims to end homelessness and help vulnerable people create a better, independent life.

“The services Threshold provide are directly linked to our capacity to raise funds,” Jason said.

He added: “The annual BIG Sleep Out event has provided, year on year, a large source of donated funds that drive the critical services we provide. It is also one of the largest Sleep Out events regionally, which shows the passion Swindonians have to help the disadvantaged and vulnerable.”

Jason said homeless charities have been particularly hit by a fall in public donations due to the perception that all rough sleepers have been housed by local authorities.

“That is a false impression,” he said. “Unfortunately people remain homeless and sleeping rough at present.

“A significant loss of income through donations directly impacts the extent of work we can undertake with the homeless.”

At present there are still on average 10 rough sleepers on Swindon’s streets, though this is less than at the start of the year.

Jason said: “The various supported accommodation providers in Swindon have been doing a great job in assisting and moving on rough sleepers into resettlement accommodation.

“During the first lockdown our staff frequently worked double shifts and across the entire week, without a break, for the entire duration of lockdown. It was exhausting for all, but the reality of our work, which requires a particular skill set and security clearances, meant that utilisation of many of the volunteers who came forward, in quite large numbers, was not fully possible,” he added.

The charity has big plans for the money raised from this year’s Sleep Out event.

“Our fundraising target this year is high and that is not just because we are so very far behind in respect of fundraising this year, but moreover because our ambitions in the coming year are enormous,” said Jason.

“Ending homelessness in Swindon is truly within grasp. Meeting the ‘no second night out’ target is absolutely achievable.

“The amount of additional bed spaces required in Swindon to thoroughly transform outcomes faced by the homeless is so low that there is good reason to believe that between all the various accommodation providers, that before much longer, a sufficient increase in accommodation will be made.”