College pledges support for Oxford Homeless Movement Charter

Merton College has become the latest Oxford organisation to sign up to the Oxford Homeless Movement's Rough Sleeping Charter, as well as committing to make an annual donation for the next five years in support of the Movement's efforts.

Oxford Homeless Movement (OHM) is a partnership of the many organisations working to ensure that nobody has to sleep rough on the streets of Oxford. They aim to bring greater visibility to all Oxford’s work in this area, guiding volunteers, supporters and homeless people alike to the actions or services they’re looking for.

The Warden, Professor Irene Tracey is a keen supporter of OHM, and following last week's meeting of the College's Governing Body which agreed to support the Charter, Professor Tracey said:

"I am delighted by the enthusiastic and unanimous support for OHM by our Governing Body. This is the first step in what we hope will be a long and impactful journey working alongside OHM to eliminate homelessness in our beloved city."

The OHM Charter sets out guiding principles for helping people who sleep rough in Oxford and anyone who is at risk of street homelessness; its purpose is to increase public awareness and understanding of rough sleeping, to generate funding and commitment in kind, and to find and deliver effective, lasting solutions to end rough sleeping in Oxford.

The Charter can be signed by both individuals and organisations, and OHM's website also lists a number of suggested actions in support of its vision and values, such as:

  • giving time, expertise and ideas to the Movement's member charities who need support, either as a volunteer with a partner charity or through sharing your skills;
  • fundraising for, or making a donation to, the Movement;
  • inviting an OHM charity partner to come and talk to your organisation about homelessness to raise your understanding; and
  • committing to recruiting inclusively, procuring services locally from social enterprises and purposeful businesses, and paying the real Living Wage or higher.

In its November 2019 street count - a snapshot of the number of people seen sleeping rough in a local authority area on a particular night - Oxford City Council found 43 people rough sleeping, but it's important to realise that this is just one small but visible aspect of homelessness - far greater numbers of people rely on shelters, temporary accommodation, emergency bed & breakfast accommodation, or 'sofa-surfing'.

Oxford Homeless Movement’s goal is to eliminate homelessness across the city, and the College is proud to be playing a part in working towards this.