JLife catches up with Homeless Street Angels Co- Founders, Becky and Shelly Joyce, on the charity’s latest projects.
Co-founded with their late sister Abi, Becky and Shelly Joyce have now tirelessly run Homeless Street Angels (HSA) for over six years to distribute warm meals and clothes to those living on the streets. The charity now has over 260 families on its food parcel register as many struggle to adapt to the increased cost of living, with rehome schemes and job seeking guidance services also now in place to meet demand.
Over £6,800 was raised earlier this year in a sponsored skydive to go towards Becky and Shelley’s fundraising goal to open the Abi House day centre in memory of their sister. Bringing together all of HSA’s services under one roof, the day centre will provide practical workshops, washrooms, and warm drinks for the homeless in a safe and supportive environment.
Becky and Shelley have also inspired primary school pupils during class visits to explain how their work has supported the homeless across Leeds. Food collections for the HSA’s Chapel Allerton food back and other fundraising events have since been organised by students, including a recent sponsored litter pick by Swillington Primary School which managed to raise over £300 for the charity.
“Attending schools and giving presentations to the children is one of my favourite parts of what we do and often brings a tear to my eyes,” said Shelley. “It’s so nice to see how interested the children are and how involved they get. We love to talk about all the different circumstances which we encounter and discuss how life can be a struggle for a lot of families.
“We find it rewarding to chat openly with the children and like to think that we can help grow their perception of homeless people and encourage more empathy.
“Hearing the story of the recent litter pick really melts my heart. What we do daily can be extremely challenging, and it’s contributions like this that make it all worthwhile.”
Homelessstreetangels.co.uk
