CHARITY SPOTLIGHT
Wintercomfort THE LOCAL HOMELESSNESS CHARITY DOES UNPARALLELED WORK – NOT JUST IN WINTER, BUT ALL YEAR ROUND. MIRIAM BALANESCU SPEAKS TO FUNDRAISING MANAGER MELODY BROOKER TO FIND OUT MORE LOCAL HEROES
omelessness is one of the greatest issues facing Cambridge, with government statistics from 2021-2022 showing that 2,500
households faced the possibility of losing their home. A previous 2018 record showed that one in every 784 in the city is homeless – and, with the additional strain of the cost- of-living crisis, this number is only rising. Wintercomfort, founded over three decades ago, claims to be the first charity to have tackled rough sleeping in Cambridge. “Henry Rothschild, owner of the Primavera Gallery, and Selwyn Image, who founded Emmaus UK, recognised that there was a growing issue with homelessness in Cambridge. They spoke to people on the street, saying, ‘What do you need?’ It was not just ‘a house’,” recalls fundraising and communications manager Melody Brooker. “It was ‘purpose’. “Volunteers started going out into the city, giving blankets and soup – immediate winter comfort – which is where the name comes from,” continues Melody. Initially, the charity was run out of the back of a bus, but has since moved into Overstream House, evolving to encompass employment support services, accessible healthcare courtesy of Cambridge Access Surgery, training opportunities, a sports and activities programme and much more. Melody joined Wintercomfort amid the height of the pandemic. “I’m a local and had been really aware of inequality in the city,” she says, commenting on why rough sleeping is such a hot topic in the region. “It’s shocking to see people on the street in such a beautiful, affluent city.” Compared to the rest of the country, Cambridge is particularly mired by class divides – it’s the most unequal city in the UK according to The Guardian . For the many threatened or affected by homelessness, Wintercomfort’s centre is often their first support system.
Much of Wintercomfort’s work now focuses on prevention of homelessness, with many pushed to the edge financially. “There’s no one stereotype of a person it happens to,” Melody insists. Among the new initiatives is a women’s outreach project, where Overstream House opens on Tuesdays and Thursdays specifically for women. “Statistically, about 14% to 16% of the national rough sleeping population is female,” says Melody. “During the pandemic, we found that women don’t want to come here because it’s very male- dominated. If they have had any kind of experience of domestic violence, they will absolutely resist.” The charity works by first understanding the needs of rough sleepers, and then providing. A total of 49% of Wintercomfort’s team have lived experience of homelessness, meaning they come from ‘a place of compassion for the challenges people face’ – as Melody describes. Donations are indispensable. As part of its Christmas appeal, everything contributed will be doubled. And volunteers are pivotal, even just in offering a friendly face and a chat with visitors. “What we need are people who can commit over a long period of time,” says Melody. “If you want a frontline volunteering role, it will be challenging – but incredibly rewarding.” To get involved, visit wintercomfort.org.uk HOLISTIC HELP Wintercomfort also provides employment support services, training opportunities, sports programmes, accessible healthcare and much more
“Wintercomfort is the place where everybody’s journey starts,” says Melody. “People come here before moving onto other accommodation, so we probably have the most immediate understanding of how it’s changing out there on the streets. Certainly over the past months, numbers have started to shoot up dramatically. “It’s going to be hard. We’ve already had a number of very challenging years; the pandemic was dreadful, but there was this emergency provision of accommodation. There doesn’t seem to be anything like that coming now.”
Cambridge is mired by class divides – it’s the most unequal city in the UK
CAMBSEDITION.CO.UK NOVEMBER 2022 71
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