Sleeping bag – Check!
Hat – Check!
Donations – Check!
On Monday 16th October, I braved the autumnal weather and took part in the CEO Sleep Out. CEO Sleep Out is an organisation that was set up 4 years ago to help fight homelessness and poverty across the globe. Challenging executives to sleep outdoors for one night with an aim to raise awareness of the conditions people all around the world have no choice but to suffer this every day. Sponsorships from their businesses, friends and family go to local charities such as Church Urban Fund and Changing Lives, who provide emergency food, support and advice for the homeless.
The myths of homelessness portray aggressive behaviour and drug addicts; however, a sizable percentage of the homeless population are forced there due to issues relating to insufficient support after familial problems, redundancies and ill health. Lack of affordable housing, unemployment and changes in personal circumstances such as broken relationships or insufficient provision at the end of care are just some of the factors that can result in life on the streets.
It was reported in 2016 that just in the North West, there were over 300 people sleeping rough. Being born and bred from Manchester, I knew straightaway this is a worthy course I actively wanted help!
With the aftermath of Hurricane Ophelia dragging in tropical air and dust from the Sahara, the night seemed a little eerie to start with. However, once meeting my fellow participants and enjoying a bowl of soup with them, I tucked up into my sleeping bag to begin my night of ‘sleeping rough’. A concrete ground and no pillow for comfort, the realities of homelessness really hit home that this is a norm for hundreds of people, who live like this every single day.
After hounding my nearest and dearest and campaigning to the Catax staff, we have manged to raise over £1450 for this amazing cause. I would like to thank everybody who has donated as I know the money will go a long way and will help so many people.
Taking part in the CEO Sleepout, I braved the cold for one night. I can’t imagine the harsh reality that hundreds of men, women and children go through every single night, with no promise of safety, hot soup, or a shower at the end of the night. I hope to spread the awareness to fight homelessness and poverty throughout Manchester, nationally and globally, to fight this awful endemic that if effecting so many people in our communities.
If you would like to make a donation to the CEO Sleepout, you can here: https://www.justgiving.com/fundraising/ceosleepoutcatax?utm_medium=email&utm_source=ExactTarget&utm_campaign=20171016_96877