TAP for Bristol reaches three-year milestone in supporting Bristol’s homeless charities

TAP for Bristol, a partnership between Bristol City Centre BID, Redcliffe & Temple BID and Caring in Bristol, has celebrated two significant milestones this month, as it reaches its third-year anniversary and achieves £70,000 in donations.

Launched in 2019, TAP for Bristol offers a contactless way for people in the city to donate to local homelessness charities with 100 per cent of all donations going to charity.

TAP for Bristol’s donation points are installed in the windows of businesses, and on contactless devices in selected Bristol shops, bars, cafés, offices and venues, making it easy to donate across the city centre.

With the ambition of making Bristol the city that solves homelessness, TAP for Bristol’s donations are allocated to vital homelessness charities that provide emergency support, work towards homelessness prevention, and deliver specific city-based projects.

In its first year, the contactless scheme enabled donations of £30,000, and a further £40,000 across the subsequent two years, despite the pandemic and the cost-of-living increases. This year, Caring in Bristol, 1625 Independent People and One25 are the three Bristol-based charities benefiting from the donations.

Caring in Bristol delivers a range of projects that support people in moving away from life on the streets and help to prevent individuals from becoming homeless in the first place.

CEO Ben Richardson said: “TAP for Bristol has meant we could reach more people across the city and raise essential funds. The additional funding across the last three years has been invaluable to us as a charity, particularly across the pandemic and now as we start to live through the current economic uncertainties.

"It is vital that our projects continue to help those most vulnerable to homelessness and TAP for Bristol is instrumental in doing this.”

One25 works with women facing multiple disadvantages, supporting them to move from crisis to independence.

Jenny Riley, One25 CEO, said: “75 per cent of the women we support are affected by homelessness. Our team work tirelessly to help them secure safe housing but the accommodation available to women is often lacking white goods and furniture.

"The funds from TAP will be used to buy essential items like cookers, fridges, carpets and curtains - the things that can transform a house into a liveable, comfortable home for a woman in need.”

1625 Independent People is a charity that works with young people who are homeless, leaving care or at risk of homelessness in Bristol and the South West.

As well as providing safe, stable accommodation, they provide practical and emotional support to ensure vulnerable young people can build healthy relationships, develop independent living skills, and access jobs and training opportunities to thrive as independent adults.

Saffron Dixon, fundraising and events coordinator, said: “Being awarded the TAP for Bristol grant earlier this year has allowed us to provide immediate emergency respite for young people presenting as homeless and those affected by energy poverty.

"These funds have enabled us to absorb some of the detrimental impacts of the current cost of living crisis on those already facing financial hardship. It is often challenging for us to access funds that allow us to respond quickly to evolving situations. Having this crisis fund allows us to do this.”

Vicky Lee, head of Bristol City Centre BID, said “The total of £70,000 donated through TAP for Bristol shows the city’s commitment to supporting the efforts of local charities and supporting Bristol to become the city that solves homelessness.

“There are currently 24 contactless donation points around the city centre, raising around £150 a day with more donation points in the pipeline. We hope to extend the project into new areas of the city centre to increase the opportunity for donations and further support charities in TAP for Bristol’s fourth year.”