Catching Lives is a homelessness charity, open every day of the year.

People who come to our Day Centre in Station Road East, Canterbury receive a warm welcome, one-to-one support, food and drink for the day, as well as a place to have a hot shower, do laundry and access a computer. People sleeping rough can get essential items like clothing, sleeping bags and tents. On average, 30 people a day visit the centre and it costs Catching Lives £19 per person a day to provide essential drop-in support.

Thanks to this fundraising campaign and a recent £57k grant from the National Lottery Community Fund, we have been able to extend our winter opening hours by six hours until 8pm in the evening from January until March 2024.

With our Winter 2023 provision funded, new donations to the Appeal will go towards keeping our doors open throughout the year, including plans for next winter.

Tasmin Maitland, Chief Executive of Catching Lives, said: “This year we couldn’t afford to run a winter shelter to provide emergency accommodation, despite seeing more people who are homeless coming to the Centre. We launched a fundraising appeal with the aim of securing and extending our drop-in services throughout the winter. The appeal has been a huge success and we’re really grateful to people for their generosity.

“Alongside our community fundraising, this new grant from the Department of Culture, Media and Sport (DCMS) and the National Lottery Community Fund means that our Day Centre drop-in, which would normally be 9am to 2pm, will remain open until 8pm. People who are homeless or insecurely housed will have a warm, safe space every evening. In these extra hours we’ll provide a basic hot meal, activities, and social connection. It’s somewhere for people to feel safe and less alone during these cold, dark evenings.

Clients at Catching Lives have reacted to the news about the funding. One said: “Having a place to go in the evening when there is nowhere else to go helps me to cope with loneliness [and] depression.” Another said that “Having the small offer of a welcoming and cosy environment, of some warm shelter, some simple food and putting a film on will be a vital aid to building up trust and independence.”

A client who has been sleeping rough added: “If I still find myself without a roof over my head, I shall be able to remain warm until the evening.”

The DCMS and National Lottery Community Fund grant is part of a £76 million package from the Government to charities providing food, shelter and warmth.

Tasmin added: “Thank you to everyone who has supported our Winter Appeal, and to DCMS and the National Lottery Community Fund for this vital grant. It continues to be a challenging time for homelessness charities, as we are seeing increasing need while the costs of delivering our services are rising too. This funding has secured both day and evening provision during the winter months, and is making an immediate difference to our service and, most importantly, to people in our community experiencing homelessness.

You can read the latest news here: https://catchinglives.org/2024/01/02/catching-lives-receives-57k-grant-from-the-national-lottery-community-fund/

People who come to our Day Centre in Station Road East, Canterbury receive a warm welcome, one-to-one support, food and drink for the day, as well as a place to have a hot shower, do laundry and access a computer. People sleeping rough can get essential items like clothing, sleeping bags and tents.

On average, 30 people a day visit the centre and it costs Catching Lives £19 per person a day to provide essential drop-in support.

£5 could provide a day of hot drinks for people experiencing homelessness at our Day Centre

£10 could provide a week of meals to a person who is homeless

£19 could provide essential services to a person experiencing homelessness for the day

£25 could provide a weatherproof sleeping bag for a rough sleeper