Make a difference this World Homeless Day

Friday 10 October marks World Homeless Day.

This international day serves as a platform to raise awareness of the profound impact of housing insecurity and the challenges faced by people experiencing homelessness.

It also aims to celebrate good work and benchmark progress in addressing homelessness and advocate for improved policies and funding that can help prevent and end homelessness.

For this World Homeless Day, we are highlighting Make Change Count, the powerful citywide campaign helping people facing homelessness in Brighton & Hove.

Make Change Count

Running since 2016, Make Change Count is the city’s combined fundraising campaign, providing much-needed funds to local charities who work together to support and prevent homelessness.

Whether it’s a hot meal, a clean set of clothes, a safe place to sleep, or long-term recovery support, Make Change Count ensures donations go straight to where they’re needed most.

The partnership facilitates the professional help that is needed to give a homeless person the best chance to get off the streets and into safety.

It offers a great alternative for people who want to give change to rough sleepers but recognise that their money can do more.

Donate to Make Change Count 2025/2026.

Direct help for people in need

Every single penny donated goes directly to helping people in need, so no money is used on admin, and every charity involved contributes to the campaign at no cost.

Donations are used in practical, immediate ways, and supports long-term recovery too. Here's how your money can make a difference:

  • £5 provides someone sleeping rough with a hot meal, drink, and a warm welcome
  • £10 buys clean clothes and toiletries for someone in crisis
  • £25 funds a one-to-one support session with a frontline worker
  • £50 helps someone access safe emergency accommodation for the night
  • £100 supports long-term recovery from mental health treatment to tenancy support or addiction services

Thanks to the kindness of 230 generous supporters, the most recent campaign raised £15,460. In 2025, with your help, we’re hoping to go even further and hit at least £20,000.

Working together

This year’s campaign brings together 8 impactful local charities, all working hand in hand to offer people the safety, support, and stability they need to move forward.

  • Antifreeze – Off The Fence Trust: Offering afternoon and evening outreach with access to essentials like hygiene facilities, showers, laundry, clothing, and structured support to help people move towards independence.
  • BHT Sussex: Supporting people sleeping rough with accommodation, mental and physical health care, and addiction recovery – delivered through their day centre, housing projects and prevention teams.
  • BWS: SIG Equinox – Brighton Women’s Service is Brighton & Hove’s only accommodation-based service for women with high support needs experiencing homelessness and multiple disadvantages. The 18-bed service improves outcomes for women through a trauma-informed and recovery-focused programme that promotes independence, resilience and community engagement, enabling women to recover and live well.
  • YMCA Brighton: The city’s oldest housing charity, supporting more than 400 people a year with advice, accommodation, coaching to prevent homelessness and move towards independence.
  • Sussex Nightstop: Offering same-day emergency accommodation in host homes for 16- to 25-year-olds, preventing rough sleeping and keeping young people safe.
  • The Clock Tower Sanctuary: The only day centre in Brighton & Hove for 16- to 25-year-olds experiencing homelessness – a welcoming place offering food, clothes, showers and emotional support.
  • YMCA DownsLink Group: Working across Sussex and Surrey to prevent youth homelessness and improve mental health – offering safe homes and support to build skills and confidence.
  • Change Grow Live (CGL): Helping people move off the streets and into the right services – providing ongoing support to reduce repeat homelessness and rebuild lives.

Vital support

Councillor Paul Nann, the council’s lead member for homelessness, said: “World Homeless Day serves as firm reminder that everyone has the right to have somewhere decent to live.

“The impacts of the national housing crisis are felt profoundly in our city.

“If you’d like to help but are not sure how, donating to Make Change Count is a great way to ensure that your generosity is directly helping support people to move away from rough sleeping in Brighton & Hove.

“The support on offer for people threatened with homelessness in Brighton & Hove is exceptional, and the work of all the charities involved in Make Change Count is a vital part of this support.

“Thank you to everyone who has supported the campaign so far.”

Concerned about anyone sleeping rough

If you are concerned about someone sleeping rough in Brighton & Hove, contact Streetlink via www.streetlink.org.uk.

The city’s street outreach team will then contact them to try to offer them appropriate support and housing assistance.

It’s important that anyone sleeping rough is offered help as soon as possible and that the assistance offered meets their needs.

Reporting where people are through Streetlink is the best way of making sure that people get the support they need.

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