The move comes as data from York City Council has revealed that over 1,500 people are waiting for a property in the city while on average, around 15 people sleep rough on the city’s streets each night.
The homeless charity CEO Sleepout is staging annual York fundraiser on Thursday April 18 at York’s LNER Community Stadium, which aims to raise tens of thousands of pounds for causes working to battle poverty and homelessness throughout the area.
The charity’s CEO, Bianca Robinson says money raised from the sleepout will serve as a “lifeline” for hundreds of vulnerable locals.
READ MORE:
“York may be a beautiful city, but the ugly truth is that too many people here are struggling to survive,” Bianca explained.
“The amount of people in York simply waiting for a home to call their own is too high in this day and age, but the reality is that the cost-of-living crisis is making life increasingly hard for everyone – especially our most vulnerable.
“The Government vowed to end rough sleeping by 2024, yet nationally, there are record rates of homelessness and that figure is getting worse by the year.
“That’s why we are urging York’s business community to pull together and brave the York CEO Sleepout this year. A few hours in the cold will help support locals who wake up each day wondering if they’ll have a bed – or even a roof – over their heads that night.”
Nationally, the number of rough sleepers is estimated to have risen a quarter in 2023. The Charity Shelter also said 40 per cent of York’s homeless are children.
As such, the York CEO Sleepout aims to raise money for four causes trying to stem the tide locally: York City FC Foundation, Carecent, The Hygiene Bank and SASH.
One participant this year is Audrie Woodhouse, a York-based voice, presentation and development coach, who has raised thousands at previous sleepouts – experiences that have left her “humbled”.
Audrie said: “The current climate sadly means nobody is immune from being made homeless, and often the only difference is the support people have around them.”
“That’s why I’d urge everyone who can to volunteer and take part in this year’s sleepout.
“It isn’t easy – there was a point when I woke at 3am and all you could see were people staring into nothing. The concrete, cement and iron railings were cold and unwelcoming and it reminded me that this is the reality for people every night.
“So, it truly is a humbling experience, and you leave with a greater appreciation for what people endure, and a greater desire to do more to help.”
For more information, visit https://ceosleepout.co.uk/york/
