The 34SP.com team are raising funds to donate to GTMCR Mayor's Homelessness Fund. This is a local cause close to our hearts. Here is some information copied from their page:

As the newly elected Mayor of Greater Manchester, I have made ending rough sleeping across the city region by 2020 one of my top Mayoral priorities. Within three years, and if we can achieve it earlier, no one should be forced to spend a night on the streets.

As my first act as Mayor I am establishing the Greater Manchester Mayor's Homelessness Fund and as promised I will donate 15% of my Mayoral salary to kickstart the fund. I am delighted a number of local businesspeople have also already agreed to contribute.

The fund will support frontline projects which can demonstrate they are supporting our objective to end rough sleeping and reduce homelessness through innovative initiatives such as:

- Building specialised supported accommodation for young people with access to education, volunteering and employment opportunities.

- Expanding mental health and rehabilitation programmes across Greater Manchester, including re-building community mental health support, recovery-led accommodation and arts programmes.

- Bringing empty properties back in to use for people threatened with becoming homeless.

I am also creating a Greater Manchester Homelessness Action Network, to maintain this impetus, harnessing the goodwill and compassion of the people of Greater Manchester and beyond.

This network will consist of charities, people who have experienced homelessness, businesses, faith groups, civil society and the region's local authorities, to share best practice, develop new solutions and progress in the same direction to tackle homelessness across Greater Manchester.