We’re delighted the Sleep in the Park initiative has raised over £1 million so far and is likely to hit its £4 million target.
With just over a month to go until the event, some of our CR Smith employees, along with thousands of other generous people, are going to brave the icy December chill by taking part in the mass sleep out in their pompom hats and sleeping bags in a bid to eradicate homelessness.
Josh Littlejohn, the founder of Social Bite, is the brains behind the initiative and has lifted the lid on the extent of homelessness across Scotland in a new report published today by Heriot Watt University.
In this day and age, it’s not a luxury for everyone to have warm, safe place to sleep at night – it’s a necessity. And the reality that 470 people could be helped into mainstream tenancies as a result of Sleep in the Park should be supported as much as possible.
That’s why we’re also donating windows and doors for the Social Village project in Edinburgh’s Granton area, which will offer a safe place for 24 of Edinburgh’s homeless people to live and help get them back on their feet.
By putting people into these ‘Housing First’ models, the report has revealed this is a mechanism for helping to solve the nation’s homelessness crisis.
The fact that we can all do something to end this problem should be encouraged.
And if you can’t take part in the giant sleepover on 9 December, please visit http://uk.virginmoneygiving.com/team/cr-smith and give homeless people the opportunity to start living their lives again.
