With so many people signing up for this year’s Big Sleepout, Wycombe Homeless Connection has raised more than thirty thousand pounds.
People “sleep rough” in designated areas during the event, simulating the conditions currently faced by the homeless.
This year’s participants slept in back gardens, churchyards, and school playgrounds at Adams Park, home of the Wycombe Wanderers.
The most recent sleepout took place on March 2 in the evening and on March 3 in the early morning.
WHC’s fundraising manager, Heather Stanley, declared: “The government’s plan to end rough sleeping by 2024 has failed.”
We recently doubled the amount of support we provide in Chesham and made sure our helpline and support centre are open to anyone in need because we are getting busier.
We anticipate providing assistance to a greater number of individuals who have lost their homes this year because other charities and services in the community are under growing strain.
We are grateful to everyone who braved Saturday night’s extreme cold and frost.
“We couldn’t be here to assist those in need of safety and hope without them, their sponsors, and the community’s support.
“We also couldn’t accomplish our work, which keeps hundreds of people from losing their homes in the first place every year.”
Eleven-year-old Jonathan and his eight-year-old brother Aaron slept in his garden under a tarpaulin cover. Jonathan said, “I didn’t sleep all that well.”
“It was pretty cold and I kept waking up, but since homeless people don’t have hot water bottles, I didn’t want to have one.”
A nonprofit organisation called Wycombe Homeless Connection assists those who are homeless or at risk of becoming so in south Buckinghamshire.
Those who have lost their homes or are concerned about losing them can take advantage of the charities’ free services.
