IT STARTED from a simple Facebook post asking if people could donate jumpers to rough sleepers in Southend.

Now a group of volunteers are out on the streets every Saturday night providing clothing, toiletries and hot food to rough sleepers.

Known as the Street Spirit volunteers, they work out of a car park in Alexandra Street and also provide companionship to those on the streets, from 8pm to 10pm.

Caroline Fricker, 49, from Leigh, has found herself overseeing the group after getting involved on Facebook.

She said: “It started in February last year. A friend on Facebook wrote about how there were so many homeless people in Southend and asked if anyone had any jumpers they could take up and down the road to give to people.

“I said I’d go along and there were three of us who met up one Saturday. We got to know some rough sleepers and didn’t want to let them down, so we went the next week with flasks and food.

“The girl who started it all had to step down for personal reasons, so I stepped up. Five of us went out with different volunteers then the Southend Street Pastors got involved.

“Because of their experience in being out on Friday and Saturday nights, they thought they might be able to get homeless people to come to us. Rough sleepers are actually really hard to find. They tend to hide away because they suffer from really awful abuse, so sometimes we would go out and we couldn’t find them.

“Then they started to visit us in the car park. From there on we took advice from Savs, Harp and the Southend Homeless Action Network and started a Facebook page.

It’s really taken off since then and we have more than 850 followers.”

From its humble beginnings, Street Spirit has now organised itself into an invaluable cog in the wheel of help available to Southend rough spleepers.

Caroline said: “We take a register but we don’t ask too much because they are entitled to their privacy. It’s just so we can get an idea of their needs. Some are housed by Harp temporarily, but they are still very welcome to come along. The needs of rough sleepers are very varied and wide-ranging.

“Recently, a lady joined to do hot food. Prior to that we did some hot food and sausage rolls and sandwiches, but she had been given some cauldrons to cook up lots of hot food. Nowwe do sausages and mash, casseroles and hot soup, all good, warming comfort food. We also give out cold drinks and clothing.

“We get about 20-30 people come to visit us and sometimes there are so many volunteers they outnumber the rough sleepers.”

Along with the rough sleepers, the volunteers have also benefited from sacrificing their Saturday nights in the comfort of their homes.

Caroline, a mum-of-four and grandmother of one, said: “The guests who come along always say they enjoy it.

“We’ve got to know a lot of rough sleepers and made some good friends with them and with the volunteers.

“The perception with rough sleepers is people look down at them, but people don’t really knowwhat to say to them. I didn’t at first, but I took the bull by the horns.

“We do fundraisers and people help us. A chap called Paul Eves did a sponsored milelong swim and raised £1,140 for us.”

The group has benefited from donations from food companies.

Caroline said: “Each week we go to the Harris Hoole cafe in Tesco and they give us any food they have left over.

The Storehouse homeless centre also gives us and fruit and veg.

“Sometimes we take food to the rough sleepers if we know where they are sitting in the High Street because sometimes they don’t want to lose their spots, but mostly they come to us and we stay as long as they need us.”

DWAYNE’S BIG CHANGE

ONE man had his life turned around by the dedicated Street Spirit team.

Dwayne Curtis, 44, from Southend hit rock-bottom when he decided living on the street was preferable to staying in a damp-ridden privately-rented flat.

He believes he would have still been sleeping rough if he hadn’t been rescued by Street Spirit.

Dwayne said: “I became friends with Caroline when she and the others started giving out hot food.

“It was the only way I could get a hot meal. I’d been sleeping rough for over a month by then.

“The Street Spirit people interacted with me, took me out of myself and gave me confidence because they cared. Most places just give you food and that’s it, but these people get really involved.

“The place I was living in was full of mould. I lived there for three years and always paid my bills, but no matter how many times I complained nothing was ever done, even though they were breaching the tenancy agreement. In the end I couldn’t bear it any more and just walked away for the sake of my health.

“Life is better now, though, since I’ve got to know Street Spirit. Harp got me a place in a hostel in Heygate Avenue.

I’m also doing courses in maths and ITC at the adult education college in Ambleside Drive.

“Now I help with Street Spirit. I’m in charge of the clothes and help to give out food. If I see people in the High Street I get their clothes and shoe size, so I can organise some clothes for them. There’s quite a few people on the street who come along for the hot food.

When you’re sleeping rough it’s nice.

“Caroline and the others reach out to them and show they care. It’s wonderful.

They changed my life. They get people off the street because a lot of these people won’t ask for help. You have to get out there and reach out to them.”