‘Homelessness in Leeds is the worst we’ve ever seen’: Leeds homeless charity has six months of funding left

A Leeds homelessness charity has issued an impassioned plea to the Prime Minister after it has warned it has just six months left to support some of the city’s most vulnerable people.

The warning from Homeless Street Angels comes as it says it is seeing a surge in demand as more people are turning to them following the early prison release scheme.

Co-founder and director Shelley Joyce has pleaded with Prime Minister Andy Burnham to visit the charity and see first-hand the work it does to support people living on the streets.

And it says his target of ending homelessness before Christmas has left them with questions about what happens next year.

The grassroots organisation, founded by twin sisters Shelley and Becky Joyce has supported homeless people since 2017. They say that more people than ever are turning to its outreach services, while rising costs and falling donations threaten its ability to continue.

Shelley told the YEP: “We don’t get any Government funding and it’s very difficult for us to keep going. We have only got enough in the pot for six months.

“But we will keep fighting and keep trying.”

Shelley says the current climate on the streets is the “worst she’s ever seen” in the charity’s nine years of operation, with some people queuing for help five hours before its weekly outreach even begins.

Shelley added: “We start the outreach at 7pm on a Thursday and some of our guys have been queuing from 2pm onwards.”

“By the time we get here, they’re all pushing in the queue, it is getting completely desperate out there.”

She said the charity had seen more people arriving after being released from prison, with some finding themselves homeless and without even the most basic essentials.

“They have no phones, no money, and some of our guys recently had no shoes on their feet, never mind a sleeping bag or a tent.

“They have nothing, and there’s nowhere for them to go,” she said.

Shelley said many also face mental health difficulties, making it harder to maintain a tenancy without ongoing support.

The charity aims to help people find accommodation and stay there through food parcels, vouchers and life skills classes.

But the increased demand is putting growing pressure on its finances.

Shelley said the charity in recent months has been spending nearly £2,000 a month on food for its outreach work alone, excluding its food bank, with costs almost doubling.

With no government funding, Homeless Street Angels relies on donations from the local community to continue its work.

Shelley says fundraising has become increasingly difficult, with fewer donations coming in as people faced their own financial pressures. The charity has also seen fewer successful fundraising applications.

She told the YEP: “We spend hours applying for fundraising applications, and out of ten applications we used to get maybe four or five, which would keep us going.

“Now, we’re getting one out of ten.”

She added that other grassroots organisations are experiencing similar difficulties, with charities sharing essential supplies such as sleeping bags, hoodies and jogging bottoms to help meet demand.

“It’s not just the homeless community, it is a ripple effect. The less donations we get, the less items we can take out,” she said.

Shelley says the increase in demand since the early prison release scheme had come with little warning for smaller organisations, leaving them struggling to provide support as more people need help.

The Homeless Street Angels charity wants the government to recognise the work carried out by grassroots charities and provide them with greater support.

Shelley said she has emailed Andy Burnham to ask him to visit Homeless Street Angels and see the difference its work makes to people in Leeds.

Shelley added: “We are just a basic grassroots charity, but we need more support, and we need support from the government.”

A spokeswoman for the Prime Minister told The Yorkshire Evening Post: "The Prime Minister has made a strong commitment to get everyone in by Christmas.

"We've funded an initial 1,200 homes through a £340m fund plus provided intensive support for at least 3,000 long-term rough sleepers, with people beginning to move off the streets this winter.

"But that is also not the limit of the government's ambition, it is the first step in a wider programme to end long-term rough sleeping and tackle homelessness more broadly and build a more preventative state.

"It sits alongside the government's wider national plan to end homelessness which brings our total investment to £4bn."

A Government spokesperson from the Ministry of Justice said: “The Prime Minister has made it clear that the Government is committed to ending rough sleeping. Backed by record investment in probation services, we're helping those leaving prison to secure accommodation and move into work, as we work to halve prison leaver homelessness by the end of this Parliament, reduce reoffending, and keep the public safe.

“We’re also investing £47m in grassroots homelessness charities and community organisations, helping vulnerable people off the streets and into settled accommodation, alongside a national drive to end rough sleeping.”