A call for donations has been made to help fund the Sifa Fireside homeless shelter based on Allcock Street during the festive period and beyond.

Birmingham has seen a rapid rise in homelessness across the city since the start of the pandemic which has stretched resources and space at many of our homeless shelters beyond their budget and capacity. This is going to be the toughest festive period that Sifa Fireside and the community have seen, so the need for us to pull together and support those in need is more important than ever.

In previous years Sifa have hosted free Christmas meals, care packages, hair-cuts and a warm place to stay. None of this would’ve been possible without the support of local businesses, however given the current circumstances, with social distancing and also as many independent businesses are closed or struggling themselves, this is not possible this year.

Melissa Roche, SIFA Fireside Fundraising Manager said: “At SIFA Fireside, we’ve provided support for vulnerably-housed and homeless adults for nearly 40-years. We’re the main homeless day service in Birmingham and our daily drop in offers practical assistance to rough-sleepers and those in immediate crisis. Homelessness is a massive issue for the city of Birmingham and, with things working so differently this year, it can be difficult for people to know how they can help.

“Winter is the busiest time of year for us and we’re always looking at new ways to engage with our local communities and businesses. We welcome the support from Second City Christmas which will not only help us to secure additional funds, but it also brings Brummies together to raise awareness of the importance of alleviating homelessness.”

Instead, Second City Christmas is kindly asking those who want to help out with their campaign this year to donate money online. These funds are vital for the centre to operate throughout the festive period and beyond. A breakdown of how each donation can help is as follows:

● £10 would keep the centre heated for a day
● £20 would allow for hot showers to run for a week
● £40 would pay for the kitchen to serve breakfast and lunch to all of its users for a day
● £50 would pays for the phone bill to cover essential safe and well checks

It costs £12,000 to keep the centre running for a month however the goal of Second City Christmas is to raise £6,000 which would substantially help in keeping Sifa Fireside running throughout these difficult winter months.