So on 16th March I will be sleeping in a box on Milton Keynes Streets!
The amount of homeless people in Milton Keynes and across the UK is growing day by day, the majority of these are young people who have nowhere to go and no-one to turn to.
I have been invited to experience, for one night only, what it is like to have to sleep rough in Milton Keynes. Official figures published in January showed that the number of people sleeping rough in England had risen for the seventh year in a row and by 15% in the last 12 months alone. In Milton Keynes the rise over the last 12 months was 26%!
Last year over 1,000 young people approached YMCA Milton Keynes for help with housing.
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.
I would love it if anyone could donate to this very worthwhile cause.
