The homeless population in Harlow is growing, both rough sleepers and the 'hidden homeless' equate to roughly 1 in 169 people within the town.
This is a hard fact to swallow as I sit in a warm home, with a full belly reading from a Kindle and texting on my smart phone surrounded by family, it's a situation I can not even begin to imagine. But it exists. And without organisations like streets to homes, it will continue and get worse.
You can check out their website here: http://www.streets2homes.org/
The sleepout will take place on May 26th.
Myself and my Dad (David) will be joining campaigners for the group, including their founders, in stripping away our homes for the evening.
We will be relying on sleeping bags, cardboard and our own clothes as warmth.
No tents.
We will be at the mercy of the elements and the fears of the night. But unlike the people for whom this a reality though we will have the comfort of knowing this is just one night, in the morning we will be able to pack up and go home.
For more information on homelessness in the UK please check:
http://www.homeless.org.uk/facts-figures
https://www.crisis.org.uk/ending-homelessness/about-homelessness/
