Fred's Sleep Out 2018

So, why do I do this activity each year when my aging back would rather I didn't sleep on the floor, outside, in November? Well, my interest in homelessness began back in November of 2000. I was working late one evening and a homeless man came into my place of work and asked politely if I could offer him any help. I could have easily offered him a few quid and sent him on his way, and I very nearly did, but we got to chatting and he showed me a book he carried with him that had the names of all the people that had helped him along the way and a note of what they'd done. The book contained hundreds of names. some simply had a cash amount next to them, others had written a note wishing him well. what stood out was that he had walked the length and breadth of the country rarely sleeping in the same place twice. I filled his flask with hot coffee, bought him a pizza (reasoning that it wasn't too bad to eat cold the next day so he could take it with him), and gave him the cash I had on me. Sadly, I didn't make a note of his name as I didn't realise that he would have such a profound effect on my thinking from then on. I often think of him on a cold night and wonder where he went and how many names his book now holds. I especially thought of him last winter. While people complained about the snow fall from the so-called "Beast from the East", I was wrapped up in the warm with plenty to eat and drink. I was lucky. I wondered about the thousands of people who are currently street homeless and thought of how many would go to sleep in the snow and never wake up again. Due to the financial crisis of the last decade and the years of austerity since, homelessness has risen with many people only a pay check away from the streets. So, while one night on concrete doesn't mean I raise enough to change the above, it does mean I can help the amazing people who work hard to end street homelessness. If you are able, please donate generously. Or even better, come and join me.