Charity facing a 'challenging year' as crunch bites
SHEFFIELD charity for the homeless, Roundabout, is facing a "challenging year" as it feels the chill wind of the economic downturn.
"Where the current credit crunch has affected us most is our funding streams," says project director Ben Keegan in the annual report.
"For the fifth year in a row, Roundabout has not received an inflationary increase in its core funding and has not been permitted to increase rental income.
"As costs continue to rise, it will be a challenging year ahead and we will need to increase our funding from donations and grant funding to maintain the high standards of accommodation and support we have come to expect.
"Clearly, the prospect of gaining donations in the next year will be a tough one, but we have made great steps recently in gaining major donations for Irwin Mitchell Solicitors, the Workshop design consultancy and Plug nightclub."
Roundabout works with about 130 young people a day, helping them to take control of their lives and to break the cycle of homelessness, providing accomodation and teaching skills such as cooking, budgeting and healthy living and building self-esteem.
But it continues to turn away young people because it does not have enough beds.
"It is a priority in the next year for Roundabout to expand its homeless provision," says Mr Keegan. "We need to increase the number of emergency bed spaces for homeless young people in Sheffield and improve the quality of our accommodation."
The charity, which moved last year into new offices in the Voluntary Action building off Division Street, has started a council-financed project working with 14 to 16-year-olds in schools, discussing the realities of what life is like as a homeless person.
The annual report has been designed free of charge by the creative agency, The Workshop, of Kenwood Park Road, Nether Edge, and features photographs of homeless youngsters trying to get their lives back on track.
Six young people who use the charity's hostel in St Barnabas Road, Highfields, are photographed at different city centre roundabouts. Photography by Nigel Barker and printing by ProCo was also on a
not-for-profit basis.
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Wednesday 08 February 2012
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