Off The Fence's winter appeal: £20 pays for a first meeting with a key worker

Off The Fence^1,3,4,5,6,7, the Brighton & Hove charity that works with people facing homelessness and poverty, has opened its winter appeal. The money pays for one-to-one support from its key workers, and the charity says £20 can fund a person’s first meeting with one. The JustGiving² page went live on 16 October and stays open until 31 March 2027. It had raised £780 from seven donations by this week.

Key workers give one-to-one help with practical problems such as housing, money and benefits, and refer people on to specialist agencies when they need to. The appeal names the fears that bring people through the door: where they will sleep tonight, how they will pay their bills, opening a letter or answering the phone. “A first meeting with a Key Worker changes the narrative,” the appeal page says.

It tells the story of Sam, who was facing homelessness and felt hopeless about the future when staff first met him at Antifreeze. With regular support he began to hope again, and the charity says he is now talking about going back to work and volunteering.

Antifreeze, on Portland Road in Hove, has been a safe and warm space for people experiencing homelessness since 1998. Its drop-ins offer meals, hot drinks, clothes, sleeping bags, showers and laundry, and its team goes out on the streets of Brighton & Hove with hot food and supplies. The charity’s second centre, Gateway Women’s Centre at Bradbury House in Portslade, gives women one-to-one support in person, by phone or online. It also runs a small hub of food, toiletries, cleaning supplies and clothing, and workshops on subjects such as healthy eating on a budget.

Off The Fence was started in 1993 by Rev. Paul Young and his wife, Wendy, who walked the streets meeting rough sleepers. It became a registered charity in 1997. Its work is faith-based, and both centres are open to people of all faiths and none.

On the JustGiving page, £40 could support two people in crisis and £100 could help five people take their first steps towards lasting change.