Tap to Donate project still taking donations!

Tap to Donate project still taking donations!

Homelessness has been a big issue for everyone in Central Milton Keynes for many years and the MyMiltonKeynes ‘Tap to Donate’ scheme, launched in December 2019, was set up to support Milton Keynes Homelessness Partnership (MKHP), who work together with a number of key organisations to provide a real and long-term solution to homelessness in our city.

Starting off with two trial donation points, the scheme has grown rapidly, even throughout the pandemic, and there are now nine machines strategically located across CMK including at Central MK Railway Station, Marks & Spencer, John Lewis Customer Collections, Jury’s Inn, Midsummer Place, Xscape MK and Centre:mk.

Thanks to kind contributions from the local community, which saw us reach £10,000 in January 2022, MKHP has been able to step-up its vital work to support those who are most ‘at risk’ of homelessness. However, with new challenges such as the cost-of-living crisis, it is more important than ever that donations continue to be secured to support the ongoing mission of ending homelessness in our city.

Thanks to contributions from the Tap to Donate scheme MKHP has already been able to bring together a network of 35 organisations from the voluntary, statutory and private sector to share best practice, identify challenges and work together to deliver long-term solutions.

Food provisions were coordinated for over 200 homeless and vulnerable people in temporary accommodation at the height of the pandemic and a comprehensive report of the learnings was created, to help shape future requirements, for example avoiding duplication, raising food standards and minimising the chance of people slipping through the net. As a result of introductions to Jury’s Inn Hotel made by MyMiltonKeynes, 170 breakfast bags were donated and distributed to Winter Night Shelter, YMCA and Salvation Army; with over 200 items of bedding and linen being donated to YMCA, Salvation Army and Connections Support.

The MKHP Health and Wellbeing strategy, working in collaboration with mental health services and outreach clinics, was implemented to target more than 750 households in temporary accommodation and understand and improve their access to GP and other health services in MK. We continue to reduce isolation and promote integration by signposting to local community activities, improving access to relevant support services and developing tools to support individual journey tracking and data sharing between MKHP registered partners.

For further information about Milton Keynes Homelessness Partnership and how you can support its vital work visit https://mkhp.co.uk/