Over 100 people attended the SMART CJS annual dinner dance to raise funds for the SMART Prebend Centre, but an additional £10,000 is still needed for the charity to hit its target.
It costs £250,000 per year to keep the Prebend Centre open, funded entirely through charitable donations and grants, and the support of the local community.
This year, the centre is also facing significant additional costs associated with an old building in need of urgent repairs.
This fundraising event was held on Saturday 14 September, at the Sharnbrook Hotel, Bedford with a Masquerade Ball theme and silent auction, staged by sponsors, My Estate.
Alongside the entertainment, area manager SMART CJS, Lisa Harrison and CEO SMART CJS, Anita McCallum, gave a presentation about the problem of homelessness and the work of the SMART Prebend Centre.
Anita McCallum said: “The powerful images and information we showed during the evening with the iconic Phil Collins track, Another Day in Paradise, playing were there for a reason. This song was released in 1989 – and a staggering thirty years later, we still live in a country that counts homelessness and rough sleeping among the big social issues of our time.
“We believe that one in 200 people are homeless, with up to 8,000 people sleeping rough in England at any one time. These are fathers, brothers, mothers, sisters and friends who, for whatever reason, have reached a low point in their lives and need a little support and attention to provide them the means to survive and also that much-needed sprinkling of hope.
“And in Bedford alone 140 people use the centre every month. In 2018, 440 unique service users came through our doors at the SMART Prebend Centre. Think about it – that’s 440 people we wouldn’t be able to support if we weren’t here.”
Although SMART CJS has not yet made the £20K target, the hope is that post-event donations and additional grant applications will help them nearer that figure to carry out essential repairs.
The SMART Prebend Centre, operates 365 days a year in Bedford, supporting those who sleep rough, are vulnerably housed and often face social isolation and exclusion.
The centre is a place of safety, providing all those items we take for granted; namely, food, warmth, water, a place to get clean and rest.
If you would like to help, you can make an online donation to the Protect SMART Prebend Centre Fund.
More informationon The SMART Prebend Centre www.smartcjs.org.uk/contact-us/smart-prebend-centre
