Liverpool footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold helps homeless charity over Christmas
Liverpool footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold has teamed up with the Liverpool City Region Mayor Steve Rotheram to help the homeless over the festive period.
It is the busiest time of year for homeless charities, so they are teaming up with The Whitechapel Centre to deliver emergency parcels to nearly 2,000 people across Merseyside.
The packages include gifts, vouchers, clothing and sanitary products to those who rely on The Whitechapel Centre’s services. For many people who rely on its support, this will be their first Christmas without a home of their own.
The charity, which receives the majority of its funding from Liverpool City Council, is currently experiencing soaring demand, with its outreach team seeing a record number of people sleeping rough over the last 12 months.
Trent Alexander-Arnold said: “I'm someone who has been fortunate to receive unbelievable support from my city all my life, so the motivation is to give something back at Christmas. “Liverpool is lucky to have community leaders who know which areas are most in need of additional help and I’m really grateful to Mayor Rotheram and The Whitechapel Centre for allowing me to partner with them. In doing so we stand alongside the many other brilliant organisations and campaigners who are dedicated to issue. “Homelessness is something that can impact people and families through no fault of their own. We should all listen and engage with those on the front line, who dedicate their time to helping those most in need. If my involvement and support helps, even in a small way, then I appreciate the opportunity to play a part.”
As well as supporting The Whitechapel Centre, the packages will be sent to homeless charities and support services across the Liverpool City Region including Housing First.
Launched by Mayor Rotheram in 2018, Housing First is a new way to tackle homelessness in the region, focusing on putting people in a safe, secure property of their own at the earliest opportunity.
To date, more than 2,000 homeless people across the Liverpool City Region have been supported by Housing First, with more than 200 securing the first secure tenancy in their lifetime.
Steve Rotheram, Mayor of the Liverpool City Region, said: “There’s been an alarming rise in homelessness over the last decade, not just in our area, but right across the country. Increasingly we’re also seeing that the impacts of the ongoing cost of living crisis are forcing more of the most vulnerable in our community into homelessness and destitution as they struggle to make ends meet.
“We’re doing everything we can with the limited funding we’ve managed to wrestle from government to tackle some of the very worst forms of homelessness and provide people with the wraparound support they need. Yet, despite our efforts, we still rely heavily on the generosity of volunteers and donors who support fantastic places like The Whitechapel Centre and countless other charities across the region who provide a safety net to people during their greatest moment of need"
The Whitechapel Centre is the Liverpool City Region’s leading homeless and housing charity. It works with people who are sleeping rough, living in hostels or struggling to manage their accommodation.
David Carter, Chief Executive of The Whitechapel Centre, said: “Homelessness is a terrifying experience at any time of the year but at Christmas it is even worse. This winter we are working with more people than ever before, from people who are facing eviction to those who are sleeping rough. We always try to make Christmas as enjoyable as possible, our outreach teams are working throughout, checking-in with people, hosting Christmas meals and giving out gifts. We know the people of Liverpool really care about others less fortunate and it’s wonderful that Trent and Steve are being so generous with their time and donations.
“Sadly, we’re already seeing record numbers of people coming to us for help and we expect this to continue throughout the winter. As a city region we are facing unprecedented levels of poverty, housing need and homelessness. There are many factors causing this and we need systemic changes across the country to bring a halt to the situation. In the meantime, we are very grateful for the support and donations we receive from the people of the Liverpool City Region.”
The Whitechapel Centre is currently taking donations for its Christmas appeal. Donations can be dropped off at The Whitechapel Centre’s warehouse, Unit 6, 10a Blackstock Street, L3 6EP. The warehouse if open every Monday, Wednesday and Friday from 10am-3pm.