A Sheffield youth charity is hosting an event where they are inviting students to sleep outside on Meadowhall’s car park.
This Friday, November 10, the charity Roundabout is asking students to join in their ‘sleep out’ for a night, to get a taste of what some young people in Sheffield go through.
Denise Lawrenson, event fundraiser for the charity, said it’s especially important coming into winter to raise money and awareness for the young people on the streets in Sheffield.
She said: “When it’s cold, and it’s dark early on in the evenings, it just brings that reality of what some young people have to go through.”
Roundabout began in 1977 and is a Sheffield based youth housing charity – who provide shelter, support and life skills to young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Friday will mark the 11th year of the sleepout event, where the charity encourages the public to get sponsored for their night outside.
Roundabout use money they raise to provide support to over 350 people aged 16-25 who are struggling with accommodation.
Denise said: “We believe that every young person can have a great bright future, and by having that help and support they can do that.”
Amara Keeling, a volunteer at the University of Sheffield community fridge, said: “The current cost of living crisis has affected so many of us, especially young people left vulnerable on the streets,
“Coming together to raise money at the sleepout is such a fantastic way to support those experiencing homelessness and will hopefully lead to a better future for them.”
The event is £10 to register, and Roundabout asks participants to raise a minimum of £100 in sponsorship.
Denise added that the sleepout is an effective way of raising money because it gives people a challenge as well as providing a small taste of what it’s like to sleep on the streets.
She said: “Young people on the street can feel very vulnerable and very alone, so they’re not experiencing that side of it, but they are experiencing that impact of not having a comfy safe bed for the night.”
Denise added: “An event like this cannot replicate the true experience of homelessness, but it can help make a real difference.”
She said Roundabout would love more people to join the sleepout event and said there’s also plenty of other ways to get involved and raise money for the homeless.
For more information, visit their website here: https://www.roundabouthomeless.org/
Photos by Green Vision Photography.