YMCA Milton Keynes Sleep Easy 2018

Hello, The photo is of me participating in Sleep Easy last year. This year I am doing it again. As Fundraising Officer for the YMCA, I see the trauma and desperation that some of our residents have, or are experiencing, and also the fantastic work that our Housing Officers do to support them. There are a growing number of homeless people sleeping rough in Milton Keynes and other parts of the borough. These people are only the visible tip of a much larger problem that is affecting high numbers of young people. There are young people sleeping in cars, sofa surfing or living in unsafe situations where for example, they may be subject to physical or sexual abuse as they have nowhere else to go. Last year the YMCA was contacted by over 1,000 people, but we were only able to directly help 350. Having a safe place to stay is just the start for many of the young people that approach the YMCA. Many suffer poor mental health as a direct result of the trauma they have had to face . Others may have had a disrupted education and may not have been able to secure stable employment. YMCA Milton Keynes works with its resident to make them feel valued, to give them a sense of belonging and purpose in life. They are provided with independent living skills and the opportunity to join in activity programmes which are designed to improve physical and mental health. Please support me by donating, no donation is too small. Thank you