Off the Fence Trust works to redress the social and economic imbalances in Brighton & Hove. To achieve this we tackle both the root causes and the effects of emotional and physical poverty; walking alongside those impacted; providing practical support and taking hands and hearts to where they are most needed.
 
Off The Fence has been helping the most vulnerable in Brighton & Hove since 1997 and has been one of the Mayor’s Charities for 5 out of the last six years. In that time we have supported tens of thousands of rough sleepers, thousands of vulnerable women and more than 100,000 school children. We have raised and spent over £9 million to do this.

One of our three charity strands, Antifreeze: The Off The Fence Homeless Project, covers short-term emergency support, medium term care and long term solutions. This not only ensures rough sleepers survive a freezing night on the streets but have access to basic needs, such as food, clothing, good hygiene and ongoing support into permanent accommodation and employment and become an active member of the community. A major underlying factor in the prevention and recovery of rough sleepers is isolation.
 
Short term emergency care consists of food, clothing, sleeping bags etc which are provided through our day centre on Portland Road and through outreach on the streets in the evening.
 
In the medium term, we provide access to good hygiene through newly installed shower and laundry facilities within the Antifreeze Centre. This enables us to provide focused, solid recovery advice and information for clients whilst they wait for their washing cycle to finish. The approach has been re-directed towards self-determination and empowerment, working more deeply with each individual than before.
 
Long term solutions work more fundamentally with each individual situation. Key workers guide clients through the options available and signpost to the appropriate support in the local area. This continues after they have moved into accommodation to enable them to avoid returning to the streets.
 
The funding from Westhill Endowment will be used to support this holistic approach to recovery from homelessness along with some of the underlying causes of it.

The Centre has recently been completely refurbished to enable this process to move forward and we have been able to add a laundry and a shower unit. The Antifreeze The funds will enable us to up to three individuals turn their lives around and move along the path back to lives that the rest of us take for granted.