A new fundraising campaign for the city's rough sleepers will see people donate via a tap of their contactless card or smartphone.
Businesses, charities and the city community have joined forces to launch Norwich Street Aid in response to the rise in rough sleeping in the city centre.
From Thursday, October 10, the public will be able to donate via tapping their phone or card at a payment terminal in The Forum, sending money direct to a central funding pot for rough sleepers, to help provide resources for the homeless.
It comes as figures from the Office for National Statistics (ONS) reveal an average of two homeless people died each day in England and Wales during 2018 - a rise of more than 22pc since 2017.
The first donation to the scheme, run by the Norwich Business Improvement District (BID), Pathways and Norfolk Community Foundation (NCF), will be made at The Forum by the Lord Mayor of Norwich during the launch on October 10.
The campaign is a response from the business community who were concerned by the level of people sleeping rough on the city's streets. Businesses can support the scheme by displaying contactless posters for people to tap and find out more or to donate.
Stefan Gurney, executive director of Norwich BID said: "Rough sleeping and street begging is becoming increasingly visible in Norwich.
"The campaign uses the latest technology to raise crucial funds, to enable those on the streets to receive practical support to help them secure accommodation.
"We have worked closely with the Pathways team to find a vehicle to leverage funds from the community".
While Claire Cullens, chief executive of NCF said: "Rough sleeping is a very visible and worrying issue in Norwich, and we are proud to be a part of the community response that enables support services, businesses and local people to come together and take action."
And Lesley Burdett, chairman of Pathways, said: "We are really pleased to be partnering with Norwich BID and NCF on this initiative.
"The donations made will have a real impact on the lives of individuals we work with in Norwich".
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules here