menu
Community News

Students help the homeless

Besi Besemar April 24, 2019

University of Brighton students promote a new app allowing people to give food and shelter to the homeless.

Dan Bennett (forefront) with marketing students
Dan Bennett (forefront) with marketing students

ā€˜POCKET Angelā€™ will allow people to buy vouchers for a meal or accommodation by generating a six-digit code that a homeless person can use for food or a night in a shelter.

Vouchers are printed at home and given to a rough sleeper or shared on social media.

The app will be available to download in Brighton next month for testing before it goes nationwide later this year.

Marketing students at the University of Brighton, led by Dan Bennett, Undergraduate Programme Leader, are helping with marketing and PR.

Dan Bennett said: ā€œWe are supporting the organisation of the launch event at the Hilton Brighton Metropole on May 21, recruiting local businesses to sign up to the campaign, doing the press relations for the event and app, running all the social media, promotional material design, and reaching out to social media influencers.

ā€œThis is a fantastic and worthwhile project and I hope people will download the app. Homelessness is a massive social issue, especially in Brighton, and we are delighted to have the chance to support this important development working.ā€

Pocket Angel was the brainchild of technical consultant Alcia Loch who sees homeless people every day as she commutes to work. She spent two years researching her idea and is using a crowdfunding platform to raise Ā£5,000.

To donate to the app, click here:

X