17 Nov Winter focus on homelessness fundraising
The wellbeing of everyone in the town centre remains a priority for Hammersmith BID and we continue to work closely with Hammersmith and Fulham Council and outreach services to address concerns of rough sleeping and street begging. This enables us to come together as a community – working in partnership to make a positive difference in our local area.
If your business would like to get involved in fundraising activity to support local homeless outreach services, please visit our Small tap, big change page. This initiative directly supports four local H&F homeless charities funding additional beds, hot meals, washing facilities, outreach services and life skills coaching. Small tap, big change has recently launched its own Instagram account; smalltap_bigchange, so do follow us for the latest updates and illustrations of the work that is being done.
Aside from supporting these charities via Small tap, big change, you can report vulnerable individuals who may be rough sleeping via StreetLink who will then arrange for the local support team to assist. This can be done via their website or through the handy Streetlink smartphone app.
Although some of the individuals begging in the town centre may have fallen on hard times, it is worth noting that we also have an organised cohort on our streets who may be linked to a wider gang network that exploits community kindness. This particular issue is being proactively managed in partnership with the Metropolitan Police and Hammersmith and Fulham Council. You can report any incidents of antisocial street begging via your SafetyNet radio directly to the BID-funded CCTV operator who will despatch the appropriate resources.