Marlowes Shopping Centre has chosen DENS to be their Charity of
the Year for 2011. This is a great opportunity for the Centre to
support their local community and demonstrate their continual
support of issues which may affect the lives of our shoppers.
Eileen Gannon, Marketing Manager at Marlowes Shopping Centre
said throughout the year, DENS will be running activities in the
Centre, including face-painting, interactive games and
entertainment. There will also be the opportunity for shoppers to
find out more about DENS and the homeless people they support.
A fundraising target of £3,000 has been set as this money will
really make a big difference to DENS, enabling them to develop
their current services which include an Emergency Night Shelter,
Move-On Accommodation, a Day Centre, Resettlement Support, and a
Distribution Service.
DENS are based in Hemel Hempstead but help people from the whole
of the Dacorum area, in which there are estimated to be up to 100
people homeless on any one night. As this area does not have
a 'cardboard city', sometimes it's hard to imagine it going on
under our noses but many homeless people are sleeping in their
cars, in garages, in sheds, on friends' sofas or in hostels every
night of the year.
DENS have helped support nearly 400 people over the last year
who are either homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
Homelessness can happen so easily to anyone, whether you are male
or female, 18 or 65, people often don't realise how close we all
are from it. The 3 main issues seen at DENS, are those who have
suffered with relationship breakdowns, mental health issues, and/or
addictions to drugs/alcohol.
DENS as an organisation is all about helping people to reclaim
their lives - it's not just about providing basic needs, such as
food, shelter and warmth, but also about helping homeless people
make positive changes to their lives, to learn new skills and to
build their confidence, with the aim of ultimately helping them to
move-on into independent living.
So when you spot DENS in Marlowes Shopping Centre this year,
come and show some support and help us meet this £3,000
challenge!
If you are interested in helping out at any of these events
please contact the DENS Marketing Team on 01442 262274 or email office@dens.org.uk.
