A CHARITY helping rough sleepers through the coronavirus pandemic wants the public to help it prepare for the aftermath of the crisis.

Homeless Oxfordshire supports rough sleepers and other homeless people living in the county and runs O'Hanlon House, a 56-bed hostel at Luther Street, Oxford.

The charity has launched an 'emergency appeal' to the public, and is asking for donations which will help it continue its work throughout the current lockdown.

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And one of the charity's bosses has said that the pandemic has added trauma to the lives of the people it helps, and added they may need extra support when the lockdown ends.

In an appeal on its website, the charity said it had 'adapted and redesigned its frontline services'.

The charity provides 200 people with a safe place to sleep, in its Luther Street hostel, as well as in houses across Oxfordshire, but it said it cannot continue 'to do it alone'.

Oxford Mail:

O'Hanlon House rough sleepers shelter.

Jo Faulkner-Harvey, the head of fundraising and communications at Homeless Oxfordshire said the main challenge facing the charity since the lockdown began was making sure its staff and clients had been able to live and work safely since the lockdown began.

Ms Faulkner-Harvey added: "The main thing is ensuring people are self-isolating, and with our clients they have varying levels of complex needs."

The way the charity has adapted to the lockdown included changing how it ran its 'one-to-one' support service for people it had helped to house.

Homeless Oxfordshire has had to buy mobile phones and SIM cards for some of its clients, to make sure they are still able to have the help they would usually receive through a face to face meeting while self-isolating with coronavirus symptoms.

Ms Faulkner-Harvey also said the charity had also started planning for the future after the lockdown, and was expecting extra demand for services.

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While clients would normally have three months of support available after leaving Homeless Oxfordshire accommodation, the charity is now considering offering a six-month support plan.

Fundraising manager Ms Faulkner-Harvey said this would help clients deal with the 'trauma on top of trauma' caused by the mental strain and economic uncertainty of the pandemic.

The government has promised a £750 million package of funding for charities across the UK to help them deal with the fallout from the coronavirus.

Meanwhile across the country, including in Oxford, rough sleepers have been housed in hotels and hostels to help them practise social distancing properly.

To help Homeless Oxfordshire with its COVID-19 Emergency Appeal, visit the charity's website at homelessoxfordshire.uk/emergency