This year, in lieu of sending out Christmas cards in the post, the Mabanaft team was delighted to make a donation to The Passage – London’s largest voluntary sector resource centre for homeless and vulnerable people. Rough sleeping is a massive problem in Victoria, where we see people sleeping rough on our way to and from work every day. So when asked to pick a charity to donate to, The Passage was the obvious choice.

The charity does incredible work. Each day the outreach team helps up to 200 men and women who are sleeping rough in Victoria, often working late into the night or starting very early in the morning.

TACKLING THE CHALLENGE OF HOMELESSNESS  

Homelessness is a huge challenge and is on the increase throughout the UK. The Passage doesn’t just offer a short-term fix, it runs a 40-bed hostel and 16 self-contained flats, with support staff at these premises who specialise in helping long-term rough sleepers. People using their services are treated with respect and dignity and offered professional advice and support to help them out of homelessness. 

It costs £4 million a year to keep The Passage going. Only 33% is funded from statutory sources, with the rest coming from donations from individuals, church organisations, charitable trusts and companies. The team at The Passage told us; "For The Passage, Christmas is much like any other day; staff are there to ensure those in our residential projects have a safe and secure place to be, off the streets, in the warm and in a place they can call home. In the lead up to Christmas, your generous donations help us to support more people with food, clothing and specialist support to provide sustainable routes out of homelessness".

WESTMINSTER - A LOCAL EXAMPLE OF A NATIONAL ISSUE

Supply and operations manager at Mabanaft, Jonathan Moss, said, " Living and working in Westminster I have witnessed first hand how homelessness has escalated dramatically in the the last few years. In the absence of any coordinated national strategy to tackle rough sleeping and as well as reduced local Council resources, charities such as the Passage find themselves on the front line of dealing with this social crisis that shames us all.

I am pleased that Mabanaft has chosen to continue it's support for the Passage. As well as offering a safe haven during the day at it's Carlisle Place centre, the Passage's outreach team play a key role in identifying vulnerable rough sleepers in the local neighbourhood and trying to get them into overnight accommodation. This is a tough job given the mental and addiction issues associated with homelessness and I salute the patience and dedication of the Passage management and staff in the face of overwhelming demand for their services."