© 2009  The Friends of the Homeless in Fareham and Gosport, Aspect House, Westbury Road, Fareham, Hants PO16 7XU  -  Charity Registration No. 1041277

The Fareham and Gosport Basics Bank

In the last 12 months the Basics Bank has provided over 500 food parcels, feeding more than 1,100 people. Each parcel provides food for a week for people in crisis. Many parcels also include items such as toiletries and nappies. We also keep a small stock of clothing and blankets.

The service is accessed through over 25 agencies in this area that come into contact with people that are likely to require assistance, such as Health Visitors, Probation Service, Social Services, Job Centre Plus, Council Housing offices, Fareham and Gosport Family Aid, homeless charities, etc.

People may access the service through one of the many referral agencies in the Fareham and Gosport area up to four times in one year. This is to prevent them from becoming dependant on the service and also ensures that we can support as many people as possible. We rely on the agency to decide the need and to manage the relationship with their client.

Support for Rough Sleepers

The Basics Bank has teamed up with The Fareham Well to provide a hot breakfast for anyone sleeping on the streets. People in need are provided with a voucher which they can present in exchange for a hot breakfast and drink. The cost of the meal is paid for at a discounted rate by The Friends. We would be pleased to receive any donations towards the cost of a breakfast.

> Click here for more information on The Well <

Background to The Friends

The Friends of the Homeless started in 1991 by providing a nightly soup run in the local area for homeless people. A centre was opened in 1995 where people were able to get free meals and clothing every day (with access to washing facilities) which then developed into a 24 hour direct access centre with 16 beds. This was transferred to another charity (Two Saints) in January 2003, who also run a number of other hostels in the area.

Following the success of the transfer, the group started the Basics Bank project which has been operational since July 2003.  Basics Bank provides short term practical support to anyone in a crisis or emergency situation.