200 people spent a night sleeping in a warehouse on Brick Lane, East London, to raise over £185,000 for homeless young people.
The participants were bedding down in aid of youth homelessness charity Centrepoint’s flagship fundraising event Sleep Out, which was returning after a forced break last year. The event was at a smaller scale than previous years with participants drawn from some of Centrepoint’s biggest corporate partners, including teams from Barrett London, CloudStratex, Selfridges and Lloyds.
Centrepoint invited the fundraisers to learn more about the youth homelessness crisis with talks from Centrepoint staff members and the opportunity to hear re-productions of real calls to the Centrepoint Helpline. Two former homeless young people also took part in a Q&A, discussing their own experiences of homelessness and sharing how the charity has helped them to leave homelessness behind for good.
Sleep Out took place in the Truman Brewery on Brick Lane, East London, last week.
According to the latest London Combined Homelessness and Information Network (CHAIN) statistics, the number of young people seen sleeping rough in the capital remains around one in ten (10%). Centrepoint believes this number could surge during the winter months. Over the past year calls to the charity’s Helpline from young people experiencing homelessness, or worried about homelessness, have increased by a third compared to the previous year.
Barrett London and CloudStratex sponsored the event and slept out for Centrepoint.
Stephen Thompson, Managing Director for Barratt East London, commented:
“After a really challenging year for so many people, it’s clear that the most vulnerable in our society need our collective help, support and protection. Homelessness needs to be eradicated and Barratt London will do everything it can to support Centrepoint on their mission to do so.
“As a house builder, it is important we give back to the communities that we work so closely with and taking part in Sleep Out has meant we can raise money and awareness both locally and nationally for this worthy cause. We were only outside for one night, but for some people this is a way of life, and a very real and dangerous existence.”
Adrian Overall, CEO of CloudStratex, said:
“As a partner of Centrepoint we were really excited to be supporting Centrepoint. We spent just one night out of our comfort zone, which in the scheme of things, pales into insignificance when compared to the experiences of the young people we are hoping to support.
“The reality of course is that we must do more and try and eradicate this brutal situation and improve the lives of our next generation so that they can fulfil their potential.”
