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Blog

Find out about news, updates, and stories on our blog

Welcome to our blog, where you can stay up to date with the latest stories and news pieces from Caring in Bristol.

Blog

Winter brings added pressure to people experiencing homelessness and housing insecurity, harsher weather bringing higher costs which can be impossible to meet, and unimaginable living conditions for people who are sleeping rough. It means we work harder to reach more people, helping them to move away from a homelessness crisis. Our teams of staff and […]

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25.01.2024

2024: A Busy New Year

R2R Banner Flyer

Ravers2Runners are not just taking steps towards finding solutions for homelessness in Bristol, they’re running them! Founded by Jo Bryan-Smith, the group began with a weekly run around Bristol Harbourside with just a few people who had started to run more and rave less. Running provided an exhilarating outlet, with a shared bond based on […]

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18.01.2024

Are you a FundRaver?

Our shelter and plans, during the building procress.

Z House, our new emergency youth shelter, isn’t just bricks and mortar. The plans for these were finalized some months ago, and our building team are now in and hard at work. Everyday, a little more progress, taking us towards the early spring when the shelter can open its doors and do what it’s meant […]

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06.12.2023

Z House Volunteering

Week in, week out, staff and volunteers at Caring in Bristol work in many ways to move the city closer to solving homelessness. This might involve supporting individuals to navigate their way through complex systems that feel like barriers to a solution. Or it might be working with colleagues in other organisations or sectors to […]

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07.11.2023

Options or Choices?

Sign from the Grit Awards at Bristol Pride

Before winter sets in, we wanted to share an insight into our busy summer period. It’s been a time of positive change and growth for Caring in Bristol. Imminent youth shelter Many of you kindly supported our appeal to help establish Bristol’s only dedicated youth shelter. We’re excited to tell you that this is now […]

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04.10.2023

In review: summer 2023

The highest point of Kilimanjaro, with sign and flags.

For those on the brink of homelessness, there are many mountains to climb. In a city experiencing a housing crisis, two such challenges are soaring rents, and demand for affordable accommodation outstripping supply. Caring in Bristol works to support people surmounting these challenges. In turn, we are supported by people, such as the intrepid team […]

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31.08.2023

Time to Climb. Time to Care.

A collage of images from Veezu cabs and COR Restaurant

Solving homelessness in Bristol involves the whole of the city. A growing number of caring businesses here agree, including two much-loved independent businesses who have not only collaborated with us, but also with each other. Award winning restaurant COR and private hire firm Veezu are now raising vital funds and awareness to help deliver our […]

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21.08.2023

Creative Collaborations

Close up of young people's feet, wearing trainers

Caring in Bristol is currently running an appeal to support the new emergency youth shelter due to open its doors later this year. With plans fully in place, we’re laser-focused on making sure that the service is effective from day one; it will fill a gap in resources for vulnerable young Bristolians, enabling them to […]

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15.08.2023

At the Heart of Project Z

Staff presenting the Grit Awards at Bristol Pride

Here’s our Bristol Pride 2023 photo album where we made a lot of noise with The Grit Awards. The awards were originally developed for Bristol Harbour Festival by our Early Doors homelessness prevention project, in collaboration with Bristol-based artist Rachael Clerke to shine a light on Bristol’s housing crisis. We spent the day sharing information […]

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11.07.2023

Bristol Pride 2023 Pictured

Alv and Mel LGBTQ+ workers from Caring in Bristol

Mel and Alv, both workers at Caring in Bristol, make the connection between a key time in LGBTQ+ history and an exciting new project that they are working on. Here they share their thoughts in their own words… “As Bristol prepares to celebrate Pride we take look into LGBTQ+ history and find links with our […]

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04.07.2023

Everyday Pride

Volunteer and staff from the Bristol Goods team working in the community

One of our Bristol Goods volunteers, Derrick, talks about his volunteering. In his words, “It’s a bit like stitching things together. Different parts of your life start to come together.” Volunteers have always been critical to Caring in Bristol’s work in pushing back against the causes of homelessness in Bristol. They bring a diversity of skills […]

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01.06.2023

Volunteers’ Week 2023

You may have seen BBC News reporting on Bristol’s HomeChoice system this week. This is the city’s social housing allocations process recently reviewed by Bristol City Council. Our Early Doors project worked alongside their coproduction group of residents from BS13 to feed into the now-concluded consultation. BBC News reported that new restrictions highlighted in the […]

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28.04.2023

Early Doors and Bristol’s HomeChoice system

Team members holding a poster of our mission statement to create a city to solve homelessness

As the wintery weather recedes it would be easy to think that the homelessness situation in Bristol is somewhat easier. It’s true that being forced out onto the street by a broken housing system is even harsher during winter months, and fuel poverty has driven many towards homelessness. However, homelessness is complex. Our work is […]

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20.04.2023

Our Work in 2023

Someone reading Housing Support Handbook, also downloadable

No information. Zero advice. Missing support. Losing hope. It’s hard to imagine facing the growing menace of homelessness in such an isolated position. What’s worse is that the push of circumstances forcing people into homelessness invariably gets worse. There’s never a point that is too soon to take action, and Caring in Bristol’s Early Doors […]

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06.04.2023

Preventing Homelessness with Early Doors

Young person on a street with umbrella in rain

Last year, with a rapidly changing situation pushed by the cost-of living crisis, we made the difficult decision to pause preparations for our youth shelter. We’ve used that time to create a stronger evidence-based foundation, and secure specialist funding to make the project viable in the current operating environment. Some of you will remember Mel […]

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22.03.2023

Gimme Shelter

At Caring in Bristol we regularly reflect on our work to ensure that what we do is needed and effective. Our Caring at Christmas project, a key aspect of our winter work, is a huge and complex operation involving specialist staff and over 450 volunteers. The hard work of creating a day centre and home […]

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13.02.2023

Caring at Christmas Impact

© Copyright M J Richardson and licensed for reuse under this Creative Commons Licence.

The people of Hartcliffe have told us that there is a real need for a regular housing advice and support drop in. Our homelessness prevention project, Early Doors, has worked with Housing Matters (Formerly CHAS) and Shelter Bristol to make this happen along with Hartcliffe and Withywood Community Partnership. What is a ‘Housing Drop-In’? A […]

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11.01.2023

New Housing Advice and Support Drop In

A Caring at Christmas Volunteer next to the Christmas tree

It’s that time in January when we take down the Christmas tree and pack away the decorations. This year at our Caring at Christmas project at the Trinity Centre, the Christmas tree took on a special significance, reminding us of the care and dedication that our volunteers express. Gavin has been volunteering with the project […]

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05.01.2023

The Caring Christmas Tree

Bristol streets with our Big Christmas Dinner posters

We’re counting down! Bristol’s Big Christmas Dinner, part of our Caring at Christmas programme is almost about to be served. There have been many amazing donors who have helped us to move closer to our goal of making a place at the table for everyone who needs it. They know that an operation of its […]

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13.12.2022

The Real Levelling Up

Behind the scenes filming on Christmas Steps in Bristol

Making our short film to support Bristol’s Big Christmas Dinner was an opportunity for us to explore the different kinds of homelessness in our city, as well as conveying the impact that all our Caring at Christmas activities make. Working with the inspiring and creative team at Bristol’s Under The Wing Productions we told the […]

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24.11.2022

Behind the scenes: Our Christmas Film

Volunteer taking a guest's order

For three decades Caring at Christmas has pulled out all the stops to make sure people experiencing homelessness are not left out in the cold throughout the festive period. This year it will feature Bristol’s Big Christmas Dinner, making sure that more people than ever have a place at the table. It’s the biggest Christmas […]

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14.11.2022

Volunteering at Christmas

Our Caring at Christmas project was a great success. With the support of our amazing donors, business and catering partners, staff and volunteers we provided some of the most vulnerable people in Bristol with a warm welcome, support and restaurant quality food. It was our aim that no one should be left out in the […]

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26.10.2022

Our Winter work

Bristol Houses and Early Doors Logo

We meet our Early Doors Coproduction Group who share some of the work they have been doing in response to Bristol City Council’s HomeChoice consultation. The HomeChoice system in Bristol is a housing allocation scheme, and the way those registered can find out about and bid for available social homes in the city. They explain […]

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20.10.2022

Influencing the HomeChoice system

Caring in Bristol staff delivering the new handbook

Hot off the presses is the latest edition of our Caring Handbook. Compiled with up-to-date information for 2022/23, the handbook is a valuable resource for people who are experiencing homelessness. The information is there to point towards services and facilities in Bristol that can help to navigate a homelessness crisis, and the road to recovery […]

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12.10.2022

New Caring Handbook for 2022/23

Taking and managing risks is an important part of our lives. Often this is done in crisis situations, and other points in our lives where we might feel out of control. This is the experience of many young people. For some it can lead to further issues, but for others it can lead to courage […]

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23.09.2022

All-Aboard Watersports

“Our work is like those little, tiny stepping stones that slowly build up someone’s belief that you’re alongside them, and that they can achieve things.” Nicole Anderson, Project Z manager. Project Z is Caring in Bristol’s project that supports young people who have come face to face with a homelessness crisis. We talked to team […]

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07.09.2022

Stepping Stones

The Grit Awards -Caring in Bristol

The Grit Awards were launched this summer at Bristol’s Harbourside Festival with presentations on a glittering blue podium next to the SS Great Britain. They are also set to appear at community events throughout the year. Created by Caring in Bristol’s Early Doors team and artist Rachel Clerke, the awards paid tribute to the many […]

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28.07.2022

The Grit Awards

Early Doors Caring in Bristol

Where you live in Bristol could increase your risk of becoming homeless. When you’re pushed out onto the street the devastation is already done and rebuilding your life can be a soul-destroying journey. What if homelessness wasn’t an inevitability? What if the cost and chaos it creates in our city could be avoided? What if […]

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14.07.2022

What if?

Caring in Bristol at Pride

LGBTQ+ staff, volunteers and allies were proud to represent Caring in Bristol at Bristol Pride. It’s great to see how far things have come, and how the fight for visibility and equality has had a massive impact. But there is still a long way to go. During the event, we had conversations with many people […]

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14.07.2022

PRIDE

Caring in Bristol - Food Bank

Bristol Goods, the Caring in Bristol project that makes good food do good things is working hard to address food injustice in Bristol. We’re able to make the project work even harder to break the link between food insecurity and homelessness through the work of our volunteers. They are residents from the communities that the […]

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20.06.2022

Feeding the Future

Homeless & Need Help?