At Evolve we know that as the nights draw in and temperatures start to dip that people start to worry about those they see sleeping rough.

We regularly field inquiries about the best way to help people on the street, especially as winter starts. That the public wants to help is great, but increasingly people want to know how they can support work that will actually help reduce the number of people sleeping on the streets.

We are working across London to help homeless people rebuild their lives away from the streets, tackle the underlying causes of homelessness and work in our communities to prevent future homelessness. As a result at Evolve, we are saying to the public, we dont just want your help for homeless people at Christmas.

The 700 people supported by Evolve across London today are rebuilding their lives and moving towards independence. We will be ensuring they have a Christmas meal, gifts and opportunities to come together over the festive period. What we would like to ask our supporters to do with their festive generosity this year is to invest to help people rebuild their lives and stay off the streets. We are inviting them to invest in life-changing ways to help the homeless.

Thats why our Christmas campaign is asking for things we know our beneficiaries really want.

» 80% of the people we work with have experienced trauma in childhood that has gone untreated. Our free in-house counselling and Health + Wellbeing sessions support them to deal with past experiences and move forward positively. £22 would pay for a counselling session to help someone better manage their mental health.

» 48% of the people we work with say they have education and training needs. A donation of just £18 would pay for a recognised qualification.

» £250 would pay for a work starter kit including work boots, tool belt and overalls enabling someone to start their own business.

This Christmas, and every single day of the year, were working to tackle the causes of homelessness, increasing the resilience of our beneficiaries and our communities. We are asking you to help us end homelessness, not just for one day, not just for Christmas but for good. You can donate to support our Christmas campaign on Just Giving and share this story with your friends and family.

And if the thought of solving homelessness in London isnt enough to get you donating, how about the chance to win our fabulous Vintage Christmas Stocking filled with loads of festive treats from yesteryear if you take part in our #Wrap4good competition. As well as a Christmas appeal we are also running a fun speed wrapping challenge to get people sharing our festive wishes!

https://www.evolvehousing.org.uk/2018/11/lets-wrap-homelessness-up-for-good-this-christmas/