High demand for bed poverty cutting scheme

The scheme, providing beds and mattresses to people in need, gets an average 25 referrals a week.

A project which provides mattresses and beds to people in need has continued to see to see high demand, especially for children's beds.

The Good Night Project started in Wolverhampton in March 2023 after the city council said people were having to sleep on the floor due to the cost of living crisis.

Working in partnership with the African Caribbean Community Initiative (ACCI), the scheme is still recieving an average of 25 referrals a week, with cots and toddler beds in greatest demand and the project has appealed for more help.

Everyone should be able to have their own bed to sleep in at night, council leader Stephen Simkins said.

Over the past year, the scheme has provided 621 beds, 674 mattresses, 246 bedding sets and 24 cots.

As well as working with local businesses and voluhtary organisations, the project is also receiving items donated by residents to the council's Too Good to Chuck scheme.

However, demand means they still need more, with the council leader imploring anyone with beds or cots they do not need to contact the Good Night Project.

"None of us want to think of anyone having to sleep on the floor at night particularly children," he said.

To date, the council said it had allocated £130,000 from the Government's Household Support Fund to the project, which is working to become self sufficient.

Project co-ordinator, Phil Dixon from ACCI said there had been increased demand for bunk beds in the last 12 months, enabling "a significant number of children to move from having to share a bed with their siblings to having a bed of their own."

Alicia Spence, CEO at ACCI said they were proud to help deliver a service helping vulnerable people, and thankful for the support, adding that it was "a basic human right" to have somewhere warm, safe and comfortable to sleep.