National homelessness charity Crisis has been announced as the facilitator of the new Greater Manchester Mayor’s Homelessness Fund.

Responding, Jon Sparkes, Chief Executive of Crisis, said:

“The number of people forced to sleep rough in Greater Manchester and across the country continues to rise and, for many, the consequences are devastating. Rough sleeping ruins lives, leaving people vulnerable to violence and abuse, and taking a dreadful toll on their mental and physical health. This is no way for anyone to live.

“But we know there are solutions, and so we welcome the new Mayor of Greater Manchester’s commitment to end rough sleeping across the city region by 2020, and the Greater Manchester Mayor’s Homelessness Fund, which Crisis has been chosen to help set up. For 50 years, we have been helping people leave homelessness behind for good, and we will use all that knowledge and experience to help ensure money donated to the fund is used as effectively as possible to put an end to rough sleeping in Greater Manchester once and for all.”

ENDS

 

For further information or spokesperson interview call 020 7426 3854 or email simon.trevethick@crisis.org.uk

For out of hours media enquiries please call: 07973 372587

Notes to editors

 

The Greater Manchester Mayor’s Homelessness Fund will operate as a Community Foundation, an independent charity which disseminates funds to local organisations through a grant process. In the interim period while the Community Foundation is created, the fund will be available on GoFundMe, facilitated by Crisis, and transferred in full to the Mayor's Homelessness Fund on completion of the process.

The GoFundMe page can be found here: https://www.gofundme.com/gm-mayoral-fund

Crisis is the national charity for homeless people.

We are committed to ending homelessness.

Every day we see the devastating impact homelessness has on people’s lives. Every year we work side by side with thousands of homeless people, to help them rebuild their lives and leave homelessness behind for good.

Through our pioneering research into the causes and consequences of homelessness and the solutions to it, we know what it will take to end it.

Together with others who share our resolve, we bring our knowledge, experience and determination to campaign for the changes that will solve the homelessness crisis once and for all.

We bring together a unique volunteer effort each Christmas, to bring warmth, companionship and vital services to people at one of the hardest times of the year, and offer a starting point out of homelessness.

We know that homelessness is not inevitable. We know that together we can end it.