Prevent Homelessness & Rough Sleeping 2025

Hi, my name is Zara and I have lived in Nottingham my whole life, this is my home and where my heart is. Over the years I have witnessed homeless people on the streets, which can be gut wrenching to experience. I have noticed there doesn't seem to be a lasting solution that is aimed to prevent anybody from having "First Night" on the streets.

How can this sit right with anyone's soul?

On Christmas Eve me and my brother decided to buy food for our mum to cook soup, so that we could give it out, connect and get a broader insight of the situation. This has allowed us to connect with other services and have a direct link to allow us to work with a homeless accommodation unit. This connection enabled us to provide porridge to a direct source that personally distributed to the people before they left out for the day in, -1° temperatures.

I am aware that there are currently organisations trying there best to provide emergency shelters, hot food and resources for rough sleepers. However, I believe a lasting solution would be more effective in the future prevention, especially in extreme weather conditions. Similar to what another organisation from a different city provided, Sleeping Pods in enclosed areas around the outskirts of the City. They look amazing and I think the model is a fantastic idea, however, I have since then done further research that has unveiled a much more cost effective way of building the sleeping pods. Each year the Winter months seem to get colder. Hopefully, with the help of the community and businesses we can raise enough money to buy 5 shipping containers which will be converted into multiple, individual sleeping pods, to allow rough sleepers to access shelter, a clean bed to sleep (not the street) and basic resources.

No matter what, nobody deserves to be cold, hungry and homeless. Have a heart for homeless, get in touch with me if you'd like to help.

Kind regards

Zara