Oasis Community Housing is this year putting a unique construction project at the forefront of its Christmas homelessness appeal.
With donations from businesses and members of the public, the charity is constructing a gingerbread house virtually, which it hopes will raise vital funds for people facing homelessness.
The virtual house is made up of gingerbread bricks and roof tiles, a bon-bon topped chimney, and candy canes; all of which can be ‘bought’ to help Gateshead-based charity in their continued work supporting people facing homelessness this Christmas and into 2021.
Commenting on the initiative, chief executive David Smith said: “Our teams do early morning outreach on the streets and they are seeing a real spike in rough sleeping, and meeting many people who are newly homeless.
“2020 has been tough for all of us, but can you imagine what it would be like not to have somewhere safe and warm to stay when all of the places you’d usually seek shelter are closed?
“Our Giving a Home appeal is about providing just that, more than simply a roof overhead.”
The ‘Giving a Home’ appeal has already been kick-started by housing association Karbon Homes, whose donation has gone toward helping three gingerbread people ‘move in’ online already.
For every £2,000 the charity’s ‘Giving a Home’ appeal manages to raise, a gingerbread person will move into the confectionery home enabling the charity to continue delivering food, warmth, medicines, counselling, and safe, secure, supported accommodation to almost 2,000 people every year.
Paul Fiddaman, group chief executive of Karbon Homes – which owns and manages affordable homes across the North East and Yorkshire – said: “We are very glad to support the Giving a Home appeal. It’s an important cause at any time, but we know how tough 2020 has been for those enduring homelessness, and it’s so vital that the services provided by Oasis are well supported, especially during the cold winter months.”
David Smith added: “We couldn’t do what we do without the generous support of businesses and individuals, so we’re encouraging everyone to spread the word or donate whatever you can afford – it all goes towards us giving a home to someone who desperately needs it this Christmas and New Year.”
Oasis Community Housing is a Christian charity based in Gateshead whose mission is “to reignite a hope and a future” for everyone facing homelessness.
Image: Karbon Homes’s Paul Fiddaman and Oasis Community Housing’s David Smith
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