Aspire Oxford are determined to provide safe, secure housing and employment support for people in Oxfordshire facing homelessness and disadvantage beyond COVID-19, preventing a return to pre-COVID levels of homelessness and disadvantage in our county.

The Big Give Christmas Challenge 2021

To work towards making this a reality, this year we have teamed up with The Big Give platform for the annual match funding Christmas Challenge. The Big Give’s Christmas Challenge supports UK-registered charities to raise funds by matching donations made through the campaign between 30th November and 7th December.

This means that every pound donated to No Going Back through the Christmas Challenge during this week will be doubled. With £17,000 secured in pledges today, Aspire are very excited to have the opportunity to take part in this challenge, and work towards matching this amount to reach £34,000 – the cost of supporting 12 people experiencing homelessness through a Housing First tenancy for one year, with dedicated caseworker support.

Donations can be made here.

How will I be supporting Aspire?

As part of our 20th anniversary appeal, we have committed to:

• Repurposing empty properties in our communities into secure homes
• Developing an affordable lettings service
• Working with local authorities, housing associations and community partners across Oxfordshire to improve routes out of homelessness
• Dedicating staff time and expertise to ensure everyone has access to the tailored support they need around fulfilling employment and safe housing
• Expanding our homelessness prevention service and introducing dedicated support for young people at risk

What can my money do?

• £25 could help a person with daily essentials, such as toiletries and clothing basics
• £50 could provide a work uniform for one of our trainees – or a home-starter kit for someone moving into new accommodation
• £185 could secure a week’s rental for someone experiencing homelessness – with guaranteed support from an Aspire caseworker

Join us on this journey – Should you wish to consider supporting Aspire further this year, please be mindful of the challenge dates, and give what you can to help us achieve our goal. For more information about The Big Give Christmas Challenge, watch this video:

Find out more about Aspire on our Univ in the Community page. You can also email Aspire.

Published: 16 November 2021

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