Words by Smiley Team
During the Coronavirus crisis, Beam - a social enterprise that crowdfunds job training for people facing homelessness and helps them into stable work - has launched an Emergency Coronavirus Fund to help the homeless population’s most urgent need during this time.
100% of donations made to Beam’s Emergency Coronavirus Fund will go towards providing emergency care packages for homeless people, many of whom live in homeless hostels and night shelters. The public have the option to give to a specific individual or to give an overall fund which then spreads donations out across all the people. People who donate can also see a budget breakdown of what their money is funding and read the story behind the people who need their help. They can also leave a message of support, providing encouragement to those in need from afar.
Beam’s Founder & CEO Alex Stephany told us that: “Coronavirus has made homeless people even more vulnerable. But the good news is that we’ve already seen how much people want to help, with local community groups providing a real lifeline during this difficult time.’
For a homeless person to benefit from the fund, they need to be referred to Beam by a registered homeless charity or local authority. Beam will then assess their most pressing needs and launch a fundraiser for them on Beam’s website. Beam then purchases and delivers emergency care packages on behalf of each homeless person.
Alex says that the fund ‘aims to bring members of the public and homeless people closer, so that we can get through this together. We’re excited to work with lots more homeless charities and local authorities up and down the country to support as many homeless people as possible during this time of need.’
To donate to Beam’s Emergency Coronavirus Fund, visit: https://beam.org/coronavirus
By Ellen Jones
