A new initiative to help people sleeping rough or facing homelessness in Nottingham has been hailed as a “great idea” as the very first contactless payment points are now in use.
The Nottingham Street Aid initiative launched back in February to give people a more reliable and simplistic way of donating directly to people in need of support.
It comes as annual street outreach figures from charities on the ground show the number of people sleeping rough has increased by 21 per cent in Nottingham over the last two years, rising from 604 people to 729.
The first contactless payment points were set up in the Victoria Centre and at the Theatre Royal on April 6.
There are further plans to establish a contactless point at McDonald’s in Clumber Street in the near future.
To donate, people approach the machine, tap their card, and a £3 donation will be made.
It will appear on bank statements as a payment to the Notts Community Foundation, which is one of the partners of the initiative.
Dr Paul Scotting, the coordinator of the initiative, said: “It has taken a lot of work from when I started this in January last year. It is fantastic to see it all working.
“In the long-term we would hope there will be six to 10 of these contactless payment points around the city.”
The idea for the initiative was lifted from Cambridge Street Aid, Dr Scotting says.
A similar initiative has also been running in Leicester since 2019.
The money donated goes into a fund managed by the Notts Community Foundation.
Funds are then made available for charities across Nottingham, which can submit bids to the fund.
A panel will then select which bids to the fund are successful.
The initiative is being supported by Nottingham City Council and the business community, including the Nottingham BID and The Nottingham Building Society.
Some 15 charities are also supporting the initiative.
All the organisations involved are covering the overhead costs, meaning “every single penny” goes to those in need, Dr Scotting says.
“Where people are being helped by the charities in Nottingham, there are things they might need that those charities might struggle with,” he said.
“Often they cannot pay travel for people, or pay for training, so they can ask this fund for this money.
“It gives them the chance to access work, so that will take them out of the situation, or they might be on the edge of finding somewhere and they just need the cash, maybe for a deposit or furnishings, and then those charities can come to us.”
The reception so far has been positive and Dr Scotting says donations have been “growing all the time”.
Sam Pattison, who was visiting the Victoria Centre from the Vale of Belvoir, said: “I think homelessness is massively getting worse and the trouble is for most people it is a vicious cycle.
“Rather than the pressure of people coming up to you, I think it is an amazing idea.”
Nottingham City Council has previously said it recognises there are high numbers of people in the city experiencing homelessness, and is working hard to address the issue.
The authority recently confirmed six new homes will be made available for homeless families in Nottingham after it helped to secure more than £1m from the Government through a proposed devolution deal.
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