A fundraising campaign aimed at supporting charities across Wolverhampton working with homeless families and individuals has smashed its £10,000 target.

The One City Fund - ‘No Place Like Home’ campaign raised a total of £23,610 for charities throughout the city working with the homeless.

£10,000 of the total was donated by Wolverhampton Homes, an Arm’s Length Management Organisation that manage 22,000 homes on behalf of City of Wolverhampton Council.

Following an initial donation of £5,000 from Wolverhampton homes, Wolverhampton businesses and residents raised a further £13,610. Inspired by the generosity shown, Wolverhampton Homes have donated a further £5,000 to support the charities benefitting from the fund.

Shaun Aldis, Chief Executive of Wolverhampton Homes said: “We work closely with our voluntary sector partners across the city to provide support for those who find themselves homeless and are proud of what we've achieved through working in partnership during the coronavirus pandemic. We initially pledged £5,000 to launch the No Place Like Home fund to support our partners in the valuable work they are doing.

"We've since seen so many generous donations to the One City Fund from local businesses and residents of the city and we know what a huge impact these donations will have. Every pound that is raised will help to improve the lives of homeless people, so we are proud to be able to increase our contribution and donate a total of £10,000 from our corporate social responsibility fund to go towards this important cause.”

As the campaign has met and exceeded its £10,000 target, the Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (WVSC) can now collect the pledges which will be used to support a number of organisations including the Alternative Giving Campaign, Good Shepherd Ministry, Haven Refuge, P3 - People Potential Possibilities and Solace Community.

Leader of the Council, Councillor Ian Brookfield, said: “I’d like to say a huge thank you to everyone who donated to the No Place Like Home campaign. Since the Covid-19 crisis began, organisations in the city have gone above and beyond to support those who were rough sleeping or facing the threat of homelessness, and every donation will help to ensure no-one gets left behind during the pandemic.”

“The organisations this fund supports are a vital lifeline for many. They go far beyond providing shelter, supporting people to overcome other issues such as substance misuse and mental health problems and I’m so proud of the way our City has rallied round to support them.”

Chief Executive of Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council, Ian Darch, said: “Voluntary organisations across our City are working, with statutory services, to ensure that everyone has a place to live; somewhere secure, warm and safe. Without that we cannot expect people to thrive, to contribute or to live full and meaningful lives. A huge thank you to everyone who has contributed to the No Place Like Home fund – every penny raised will be used by the Voluntary Sector to help ensure that everyone in our City has a place they can call home.”

The success of this campaign builds on the previous phases of the crowd-funding initiative, a collaboration between the City of Wolverhampton Council, Wolverhampton Voluntary Sector Council (WVCS) and several organisations from across Wolverhampton. It is aimed at supporting vulnerable groups in the City during the current coronavirus emergency. This brings the total raised through the One City Fund to more than £75,000 for important organisations in the city who are providing vital help to those hit hard by the pandemic.