Joe GallopDHP Family’s charity festival Beat the Streets has raised £89,500 this year to provide housing and specialist support to rough sleepers in and around Nottingham.
The one-day, multi-venue festival generated the sum – up from £76,000 last year – from ticket sales, bar takings and donations from this year’s January event.
Since its launch in 2018, the festival has raised funds for homelessness charity Framework, with the running total now topping £400,000. More than 300 separate individuals have benefited directly from interventions wholly or partly funded through Beat the Streets.
Framework said it will put the funds from this year’s festival towards the creation of eight self-contained flats for entrenched rough sleepers who have been on the streets for more than 20 years.
The charity has been granted planning permission to build the Housing First flats, which will provide rough sleepers with permanent housing combined with a programme of person-centred support towards independence. They will be able to access a range of Framework’s other services including, drug and alcohol, mental health and employment support.
DHP Family MD George Akins said, “As a Nottingham-based company, it means a lot to all of us that work here to continue to deliver a fantastic Beat the Streets festival each January as we know how vital the funds are to Framework and the people they support across the city.
“We hope to continue to use our expertise as music promoters and festival organisers to make a difference. We are extremely grateful to all the artists who give their time to play and each and every person that bought a ticket as together, we are helping to support something very worthwhile.”
Beat The Streets is delivered by DHP Family in collaboration with local organisations and music groups including I’m Not from London, Farmyard Records, Hockley Hustle and Rough Trade. All artists perform at the festival for free.