Wigan and Leigh launch Real Change

If you want to give money to help people you see who are homeless build independent lives away from the streets, there is now a new way to do so in Wigan & Leigh. Real Change Wigan and Leigh works by raising money for practical items which help people who are homeless, things like a deposit for a home, enrolment on a training course or buying new clothes for a job interview.
The campaign is a partnership between charities and voluntary groups in the area including:

Riverside
The Brick
Jigsaw Housing
Your Housing Group
Helping the Homeless
Wigan Council.

Jenny Morris, Chair of the Real Change campaign and Riverside Area Manager for Wigan and Leigh, said: “The two questions people ask when they see homelessness on the rise is ‘what is being done about this?’ and ‘how can I help?’ The fund provides an effective way for people to create real change for people who are homeless, and the partnership works by everyone pitching in together. “The fund was also set up to help the hidden homeless such as people that are sofa-surfing, or going from place to place not knowing where they might be able to sleep that night. With increasing public interest in homelessness, Real Change aims to give people in the borough a way to help directly.”
Dawn French, from outreach group Helping the Homeless, said the fund will help overcome barriers experienced by people who are homeless. She added: “Too often, the barrier to ending homelessness is lack of access to simple things many of us take for granted; money for a rent deposit, clothes for a job interview or a bus ticket to view accommodation. Real Change will be able to help fill that gap alongside support from groups like Helping the Homeless and The Brick.”

If you would like help end homelessness in Wigan & Leigh, you can:

Donate through the JustGiving page.
Share the Campaign Message on your social media pages
Invite us to your workplace, event or community group so we can tell you more about the campaign

More information about how you can help and how the campaign works is available on the website at www.realchangewiganandleigh.co.uk.