Autumn At HARP

BY Natalie Johal Communications & Social Media Officer at HARP.
Autumn has well and truly arrived at HARP, and across Southend our teams are continuing to find new ways to support people experiencing homelessness, hardship and the challenges that can come with it.
From seasonal donations arriving at our shops to creative workshops, specialist support for women and preparations for our upcoming prom dress event, there is plenty happening across HARP this autumn.
Our HARP shop on Leigh Broadway has already started receiving some wonderful seasonal donations, including warmer clothing and other autumn essentials. But while prom dresses might seem a long way from autumn, now is the perfect time to donate them.
For the second year running, HARP will be holding a special prom shopping weekend from 29–31 January 2027 at our Leigh Broadway shop, helping young people and families who may struggle with the cost of buying a prom dress or who want to make a more sustainable purchase.
The event will give young people the chance to find a beautiful pre-loved dress at an affordable price, while helping unwanted dresses find a new home.
As HARP volunteer Valerie explains: “We’re helping low-income families, we’re helping service users. It’s a win-win event.”
Valerie says: “Prom dresses stay in someone’s wardrobe for years and years… we need to build up a stock of these dresses because we want to make this an event year after year.”
HARP is now asking local people to donate unwanted prom dresses and suitable evening dresses to the Leigh Broadway shop ahead of January. HARP can also arrange local collections.
We’re also looking for local hairdressers and makeup artists who would be willing to donate vouchers or services. These can be offered to young people to book in before their actual prom.
Making women’s experiences heard.
September also saw HARP’s Women’s Specialist Supported Housing team take part in the Women’s Rough Sleeping Census, working alongside local organisations to better understand the experiences of women who are homeless or sleeping rough in Southend. This was part of a national survey run across 115 local areas and organised by national charities.
Our team spoke with at least 25 women during the census, gathering information about their circumstances and experiences.
Women experiencing homelessness can sometimes be harder to identify. Some may be sleeping in places that are not immediately visible, often walking around all night and sleeping in A&E or on a bus during the day. This means that their experiences can be missed when information about rough sleeping is collected.
Charlie, Service Manager at HARP, said: “Without the right approach, these women miss the support.
“We felt it was important to collect accurate information from the local area.”
HARP already provides women-only accommodation and support, but we want to hear from more women about their experiences of homelessness in Southend.
We’ll soon be sharing a survey through our social media channels to help us understand more about the situations women are facing locally.
Charlie added: “We learnt a lot from speaking to women and we’ll be working with colleagues and partners to use what we’ve heard to help shape our services for women.”
Creativity, recovery and HARPMade.
At HARP, we know that providing a home is often just one part of the solution. We need to work with the people we support to help them rediscover purpose, confidence and new skills to overcome homelessness for good.
As part of this, we have a fantastic upcycling initiative called HARPMade, which repurposes items that come into our shops and can’t be sold.
People using our services can attend weekly workshops and spend an hour or two trying something new, with activities ranging from drawing and crafting to woodwork and Sashiko stitching.
The finished creations are sold through HARP shops, helping to raise funds for the programme and support more people in the future.
HARP is always looking for donations of suitable items for upcycling, as well as volunteers who would like to give their time and skills to support the workshops.
HARPMade forms part of HARP’s wider THRIVE Recovery Programme, which supported nearly 300 people last year.
Supporting HARP in Southend.
Whether it’s donating a prom dress, giving unwanted items a new life during your pre-Christmas clear out, buying your Christmas cards (which are already in stores), giving a financial gift to HARP, volunteering your time or helping us understand the experiences of people in our community, every contribution can make a difference.
From our shops across Southend to our support services and recovery programmes, HARP is here, and there are plenty of ways for our local community to get involved.
Visit harphomeless.org to find out more
Picture: A HARP service user involved in the upcycling initiative called HARPMade
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