How Does Beat The Streets Help Framework Tackle Homelessness in Nottingham?
Claire Eden, Head of Fundraising and Communications at Framework, tells us all...
Hi Claire! Firstly, could you tell us a bit about Framework and the work you do to support rough sleepers in Nottingham, for anyone who isn't familiar?
Thanks for the chance to spread the word about what we do. Framework provides housing, health, employment and support services to people who are homeless or, for one reason or another, are at risk of homelessness.
Our HQ is in Nottingham and we deliver a wide range of services in the city but we also provide these services across Nottinghamshire, Derbyshire, Lincolnshire and in Sheffield. We currently work with about 18,000 people each year and provide accommodation for more than 1,300 people at any one time.
We've been around as Framework since 2001 and are a charity and a specialist registered social landlord.
There is much more to homelessness than rough sleeping - it's the tip of the homelessness iceberg. People living in insecure accommodation are homeless, for instance people who are sofa surfing. Sleeping rough is not a lifestyle choice. Not only is it an unpleasant existence, particularly at this time of year, but it's also dangerous to physical and mental health.
Most people who are rough sleeping have done so because at some stage they have run out of options. Many rough sleepers will have a range of underlying issues they need help with, often arising from a deep-seated trauma of some kind.
We have three street outreach teams - one in Nottingham, one for the county of Nottinghamshire, and one in Sheffield and hold our outreach colleagues in high regard. They go out early every morning of the year to check on whoever is on the street or to respond to calls from the public who let us know about a rough sleeper they have seen (0800 066 5356 for Nottingham and Nottinghamshire and 0800 066 5358 for Sheffield).
The first job is to build trust with individuals who have very likely been down and have lost faith that anyone is out to help them. They find out about the help they need and how best to provide them with accommodation and to set up arrangements to meet support needs, for instance around drug, alcohol or mental health issues and refer them to services.
In Nottingham we are very fortunate in having a robust network of services both within Framework and in the city more generally that can help. For instance we manage the Nottingham Recovery Network (NRN) which delivers the city's drug and alcohol treatment service in partnership with the NHS, Double Impact and Al-Hurraya.
NRN is based at the Wellbeing Hub on Houndsgate just off Maid Marian Way and its services include the Rough Sleeper Drug and Alcohol Treatment Team who work alongside outreach workers to deliver treatment to rough sleepers on the street.
How crucial are the funds raised during the Beat The Streets festival in sustaining the services that Framework provides?
The financial support received from Beat the Streets has been absolutely vital in maintaining our work with rough sleepers in Nottingham.
Can you share any specific projects or initiatives that have directly benefited from the funds raised at Beat The Streets over the years?
The organisers DHP Family have been clear how they want us to use the funds but beyond that there are no strings attached, so we can use the money to address whatever problem is most pressing at that time.
For instance, one year there was a shortfall in funding of our accommodation for rough sleepers in Sneinton Hermitage and money from Beat the Streets enabled us to keep it open all year round, accommodating more than 60 service users who would otherwise be sleeping rough.
On another occasion the funds enabled us to employ two full-time mental health workers to provide much-needed support to over 1,500 service users with complex needs including substance misuse.
With the increase in rough sleeping and the funding shortfall that has emerged, how do events like Beat The Streets help address these challenges?
They raise awareness of the issue and raise vital funds to help make good the shortfall in the funding we get from the government and local authorities which helps us maintain staffing at a level meets the increasing need.
What are some of the immediate impacts that the funds from last year's festival, including the building of Akins House, have had on the lives of people experiencing homelessness?
In 2023, we were about £80,000 short of the funds needed to progress with a new building to accommodate rough sleepers and the project was about to lapse because we didn't have the money. However funds from that year's festival plugged the hole, the project proceeded and in 2024 Akins House (named in honour of DHP directors George and Sean Akins) opened to provide eight new purpose-built, self-contained flats for former rough sleepers.
So it would be reasonable to say that the impact of Beat The Streets has been life-changing in a variety of ways.
What message would you like to share with both the performers and attendees who contribute to making Beat The Streets such a success each year?
Simply to say, on behalf of everyone at Framework, a heartfelt thank you for the commitment to the event that everyone shows year after year.
Your support is really valuable - not just in providing financial resources that make a real difference to people's lives but also in reminding us that so many people share our concern to help people in our communities who are having a really hard time.
What do you hope to achieve with the funds raised at the 2025 Beat The Streets festival, especially considering the growing need in the city?
Every year we organise a winter appeal to raise funds for our work with rough sleepers. This year our target was to raise £189,000 to make up the shortfall in funding from government and local authorities of our three outreach teams. We face a very challenging situation: the number of rough sleepers is increasing and their needs are increasingly complex, but the funding available is diminishing.
The public responded very generously to our appeal before Christmas and so far we have raised more than £110,000 so we hope that funds raised at this year's Beat The Streets will enable us to reach the target.
Finally, how can the people of Nottingham get involved in helping to support Framework, aside from attending Beat The Streets?
Here are three ideas:
Donate directly to our winter appeal at www.frameworkha.org.
Visit our new online store at www.frameworkfashion.co.uk and purchase great specially designed gear, with proceeds all going to support our work.
Get involved in volunteering or come and work for us - details are on our website.
If people do nothing else, we hope they sign up on the website to receive news and information about our work.
Beat The Streets is taking place on 26th January 2025. You can buy tickets here.