'Incredibly proud' - Specsavers hosts free clinic for homeless people in Sunderland to mark World Homeless Day
Specsavers Newcastle Home Visits and Northumberland Audiology marked World Homeless Day by providing free eye and hearing care services to people experiencing homelessness in Sunderland.
The locally owned and run business partnered with Sunderland-based charity Basis to host a pop-up clinic at The Bethany City Church on October 10. The event offered free eye tests, glasses, hearing tests, hearing aids, and wax removal, aiming to create a quieter, more comfortable environment for those in need to access essential healthcare.
As part of a nationwide campaign for World Homeless Day, more than 180 Specsavers stores and Home Visits businesses across the UK opened their doors out of hours or held clinics specifically for people affected by any form of homelessness.
The Sunderland clinic welcomed 18 members of the local community. The team completed nine eye tests and ordered nine pairs of glasses, carried out nine hearing tests, five ear wax removals, and fitted three sets of hearing aids on the day.
This initiative is part of Specsavers’ broader homelessness programme, which focuses on breaking down financial, residential, and systemic barriers to accessing NHS-supported eye and hearing care.
Danielle Sheriff, audiology director at Specsavers Northumberland Home Visits, said: "To mark World Homeless Day, we were pleased to host our first out-of-hours clinic to offer our services to people experiencing homelessness. I am incredibly proud of the team and to Basis who helped make this possible.
“It is our long-term aim to ensure that everyone can access free, appropriate eye and hearing care which ultimately will help improve quality of life. Specsavers as a business, and as a local team within the Northumberland and Tyneside community, is committed to making healthcare accessible to everyone.
“I really hope that this helps raise awareness of the issue and the current barriers people are facing."
Basis Sunderland and Bethany City Church continue to provide essential support to those experiencing homelessness, including access to food, showers, and the Internet. Dave Cawley, Project Team Leader at Basis Sunderland, added: "This is an amazing thing Specsavers are doing that is really going to help people.
“We are very thankful for their brilliant work assisting those experiencing homelessness in our community and, hopefully, we can work together again."
Outside of World Homeless Day, Specsavers runs ongoing clinics in partnership with organisations such as Crisis, Vision Care, Big Issue, and other homelessness services. The company is also calling for government policy changes to remove barriers preventing people without permanent housing from accessing vital eye and hearing care services.
Long-term goals include influencing policy to ensure free access to hearing checks, eye tests, glasses, and the replacement of broken, lost, or stolen eyewear for those affected by homelessness.