Brighton & Hove: Appeal For Clothes For Rough Sleepers - Audio

20 November 2013, 06:00

Charity Off The Fence has launched its Antifreeze project to provide warm clothing for people who sleep rough on the streets of Brighton and Hove as temperatures plunge into minus figures.

Paul Young, the CEO of Open Fence estimates 120 people sleep rough in Brighton & Hove each night and says in 2013, thirteen people died from the cold.

Workers made 1903 visits to the streets last year and contacted 400 individuals. Sadly, Paul has told Heart, 13 people died from the cold last year.

To try to prevent that happening this year, Off The Fence has launched the AntiFreeze Project. The ultimate aim is to find permanent homes for those sleeping rough but along the way they provide temporary shelter, dentist services, monthly chiropody visits as well as essentials like food.

The team are asking the public to make a difference by making simple donations of things like gloves, woolly hats, scarves and toiletries. Women's toiletries are particularly in need as it is often forgotten that women find themselves homeless as well. In fact, Paul Young says he is seeing more evidence of entire families sleeping in cars or in makeshift shelters.

Listen to our interview with Paul, then follow the contact details below if you want to donate to the project.

Paul Young - AntiFreeze Project

 Off The Fence Trust, 132, Portland Road, Hove, BN3 5QL. There are also offices at 37 Portland Road wheer items can be dropped in.

Antifreeze project; 01273 774140;  office@offthefence.org.uk website