In the UK at the moment, 8 million people are struggling to pay their bills, 14.5 million people of the UK population (22%) are living in poverty, and families with dependent children becoming homeless rose by 23.6%. These figures are only getting worse, as high interest rates combined with inflation, are putting a whole new generation of people into poverty.

The Big Sleep Out is CCP's headline campaign to raise £100,000.

The first £50,000 will be used to create two Chelpods in Cheltenham town centre, providing safe, private housing for Cheltenham's street homeless as well as funding a support worker for one year. They will provide a safe space from which to stabilise and rebuild, while providing the necessary support for individuals to thrive and rejoin society.

The second £50,000 will then be used to create a hardship fund. The fund is specifically designed to provide personalised grants to individuals, in a way that makes an immediate and meaningful impact on their lives.

In 2023, the campaign raised just over £62,000 which made an immediate impact on people's lives. Grants provided included:

🌟 preventing eviction by paying rent arrears for a gentleman with learning disabilities, who had become socially isolated during COVID-19 and was unable to access the support he needed

🌟 providing the deposit and first month's rent on a new property, for a lady who was due to be made homeless through a no-fault eviction

🌟 covering the daily travel costs for a lady fleeing domestic violence, so that she could continue to have access to her children

🌟 purchasing a fridge freezer and washing machine for a family who had to move due to a no-fault eviction. After their landlord sold the property, they had to find a new home at short notice with limited budget. They did, but the property did not come furnished with the white goods needed

🌟 paying £64 to cover the weekly membership to a Tewkesbury food bank for sixteen weeks. This was for a gentleman who had been made redundant, and is on a path of self-improvement to return to work, but has a financial need in the short-term.

The grants are instrumental in long-term success. They provide an immediate solution to financial challenges, enabling the incredible CCP team to step in and deliver long-term support and personal development assistance that helps people return to work, and to thrive.

We need your help to reach our target of £100,000 by January 2024, so that we can do even more this year. Your contribution really will make a meaningful impact in our corner of the world, and we are grateful for your donation. Thank you