Voice of London

TAP London, the organisation behind a new scheme to raise money for the homeless has welcomed the response after just a few days. 

The Mayor of London launched contactless payment points for the TAP London scheme on Wednesday at City Hall.

Polly Gilbert, Co-founder of TAP, told Voice of London: “We are absolutely thrilled by the donations so far, having raised over £1700 from £3 donations in over two days. We look forward to the upcoming response.”

“The initiative is a response to less people carrying cash with them. Even though charities are massively dependent on cash donations, TAP is an alternative method to help the rough sleepers in London,” Gilbert added.

TAP London, is a non-profit organisation that aims to raise money for The London Homeless Charities Group (LHCG) which consists of 22 charities. Dozens of donation points across the city have been installed by TAP London. Find your nearest one here.

[googlemaps https://www.google.com/maps/d/embed?mid=1_iv-CbHSHfy1hv-0NVXk0Qihe1mZ0eE_&w=640&h=480]
Map: TAP London

One of the charities benefitting from the scheme is Centrepoint. Its research estimated “that 103,000 young people in the UK presented to their council in 2017/18 as they were homeless or at risk.”

Earlier this year, CHAIN (Combined Homelessness and Information Network) also published a report revealing 3,103 people were sleeping rough between July-September in the capital, according to the BBC. This figure has risen by 20% as compared to the previous three months.

As homelessness remains a concern in the city, initiatives like TAP London continue to collect donations.

Words: Sonakshi Sharma I Subbing: Fiona Patterson I Image: Twitter TAP London