The Street Aid project – which enables members of the public to make a genuine difference to the lives of rough sleepers and beggars in the city – is one of six across the UK to have been shortlisted in the place management category of The National BID Awards 2017. A public vote, which closes on Thursday 28 September, will help to determine the winning project.
Cambridge Street Aid encourages local residents and visitors to donate to a dedicated charitable fund by text, instead of giving loose change to beggars on the street of the city. The fund gives out grants to help people change their lives for the better.
“It’s about giving people a hand up and not a hand-out,” explains James McWilliams, Housing Advice Partnerships Manager at Cambridge City Council.
“For example, a former rough sleeper was able to move from a hostel into his own accommodation because the fund provided the rent advance that he lacked.
“It has covered the cost of work clothes so that people can arrive at a job interview or work experience dressed in the correct attire, as well as the cost of travel by bike and bus.
“Art materials, purchased through the fund, have helped someone with their recovery from addictions – and all of this thanks to the generous donations of local people.”
Cambridge BID partners with the City Council to fund the ongoing administrative costs of the scheme, which ensures that all public donations go directly towards helping vulnerable individuals. The organisation has also helped to educate the public by distributing posters and window stickers around the 1,100 businesses that Cambridge BID represents.
“We’re delighted that over £17,000 has been raised to date, from which grants totalling more than £8,400 have been distributed,” comments Ian Sandison, Chairman of Cambridge BID.
“Our partnership with Street Aid helps to ensure that the public’s generosity is properly directed towards the people who need it most.”
To help ensure that Cambridge Street Aid gains the national recognition that it deserves, vote for Cambridge BID today at www.britishbids.info/our-services/bid-awards/. To make a donation to Cambridge Street Aid visit www.cambscf.org.uk/cambridge-street-aid