Sheffield BID (Business Improvement Direct) has launched a new campaign, Help us Help to support those who are begging on our streets.
People find themselves on the street through a multitude of reasons and bad luck – this means that their needs are varied and complex. Help us Help wants to provide you with information so you can choose how you may want to help – by volunteering and becoming involved or by giving a donation to a service of your choice. Our website also has a list of support services you can contact if you are concerned about someone in particular.
Help us Help is a collaboration between all the services and charities in the city who are there to provide practical support and compassionate care and advice to the homeless community. Many people who are begging or homeless in Sheffield city centre are known to these services. They work with people on an individual basis to help them achieve a better future through providing personalised support, accommodation, food and medical care, and will link them to ongoing support to help them off the streets.
For city centre businesses there are some practical actions you can take to support the Help us Help campaign:
- Spreading the word through your own activities and communications
- Hosting a charity box
- Adopting one of the local charities and undertaking fundraising activities with customers and employees
- Employee volunteering is another way in which businesses can lend their support to the agencies involved in delivering support services
Please visit the Help us Help website, information on begging and how to help those who beg will be posted on the site and will be updated regularly.