Tackling Homelessness in Cambridge

‘It Takes A City’ is a charity driven by an ethos to ensure everyone has a place called home. They provide a framework and mechanisms to support innovative new ways to end rough sleeping in Cambridge due to homelessness. They do this by bringing public, private and other bodies together to ensure help is maximised.

Their goal is to create micro-communities of small homes, with personalised support and help for its residents. The aim is to help them get back on their feet within a safe environment and to build their confidence and ability to integrate back into the community.

Often those experiencing homelessness are escaping abusive relationships, have financial issues or are leaving the care system. This makes them some of the most vulnerable in our community. To compound their situation; they are often faced with trying to navigate the almost impossible task of a fragmented and confusing system in order to just get some temporary accommodation. We at Cambridge Creative agree with ‘It Takes A City’ ethos and knew we had to support the work they do for our community.  So we got in contact with them via LinkedIn to discuss how we could help. We were delighted to find they were in need of a new website and agreed to do our part by designing the website for them while waving the fee. Since the pandemic hit our shores in March 2020 and turned our lives upside down it also drove an increase in homelessness. The uncertainty, which we have all had to endure, pales when compared to the struggles that the rising number of rough sleepers have had to contend with.

Not only have they been forced to sleep rough, often on city streets and parks, but also have to deal with increases in the cost of living and trying to gain help from much reduced social services. The ripple effect of the numerous lockdowns on the UK’s economy has affected everyone, but in-particular those working within shops, pubs, restaurants and the leisure and entertainment industries. Although measures like the furlough scheme were rolled out by the government in order to protect jobs during the pandemic, many have been lost, leaving many who wanted a job unable to find one. This has also had an impact on the number of people being forced into sleeping rough within the UK. Crisis charity has estimated around 200,000 people were experiencing the most severe and immediate forms of homelessness just in England alone during 2020.

‘It Takes A City’ combats this in an innovative way. By using currently available land, and using transportable modular homes which are built off-site, they can create temporary accommodations as and when needed. The homes are quick to set-up and take down, and with on-site support, it helps to allow our most vulnerable to break the cycle they are trapped in. They understand there is no individual agency or authority which can tackle the problem of homelessness independently, but with an efficient framework and services to coordinate existing agencies, viable plans with realistic outcomes can be achieved.
If you are interested in learning more about this amazing charity and the work they do, Click Here.