People can donate through Change into Action, a regional initiative to support people who are homeless or at risk of losing their home.

Dudley Council launched the initiative in the borough in September as an online alternative to giving money to people begging on the streets.

People can donate via the Change into Action website with the confidence that every penny they give will go towards helping someone. People can also report rough sleepers through the website. Councillor Laura Taylor-Childs, cabinet member for housing and community services, said:

"We don’t want to discourage anyone from buying food or a hot drink for anyone they see on the streets this Christmas. Change into Action is about giving people the choice to make an online donation and support services that will help those in need.

"Donations of any size are welcome, just £2 could cover the cost of a hot meal or £5 could help provide a day’s bus ticket to someone who needs to access homelessness services.

"There are very few rough sleepers in Dudley thanks to our homelessness prevention services and partnership working. However, we know people’s perception is often that we have more rough sleepers than we do because there are people who choose to beg on our streets."

Change into Action is about trying to address these issues and support the work of our homelessness prevention team. Money donated by Dudley borough residents via the website will be received by Dudley Council for Voluntary Service (DCVS).

They work with the council and its delivery partner Churches Housing Association of Dudley and District (CHADD), a small charitable housing association based in Dudley, to distribute the donations. They use the money to help people in financial hardship, those experiencing food poverty and fuel poverty to prevent the cycle of homelessness.

They will also help young people, young parents and victims of domestic abuse with essential items such appliances and furniture to enable them to set up a new safe long-term home. CHADD will also work with other local agencies to spend the donations where they are most needed, to help give rough sleepers proactive support and financial help to move away from sleeping rough and into longer term housing.

The Change into Action website can also be used to report the location of anyone that the public thinks is sleeping rough so that they can be connected to local support services. Rough sleepers can also be reported by calling Dudley’s rough sleepers’ helpline 0300 555 0030.