I am part of a Local Action Group run by the NCS. As a member of the group, I (alongside my fellow members) have decided to tackle the issue of homelessness. 

Homelessness can come in many varying forms, the most common type being 'hidden'. These include sofa surfers, those without access to secure housing and/or shelter alongside many other forms of temporary housing and/or shelter. According to the UK government, between July and September 2020, 68,680 households were initially assessed as homeless or threatened with homelessness and were owed access to some form of shelter, housing or otherwise.

Thus, in order to raise money for Centrepoint - a charity who support 14,000 young people every year - I have decided (alongside the other members of my group) that we will 'sleep out', without a mattress, either in our gardens or on the floor. Of course, we will not be able to mimic the hapless conditions that many homeless people face, but this project can give an insight into the rough conditions experienced by homeless people as well as raise money for a benevolent cause. 

As a team, we will take it in turns to sleep out during the Easter holidays. We encourage everyone to get involved too! Whether that be by sleeping out yourself, donating to this page, or buying a homeless person a hot drink and saying a friendly hello. I myself will be sleeping out on April 11th of 2021.

Although Centrepoint's key focus is homelessness, they also help with all of the issues associated with this, providing support with: 

• housing
• health
• learning
• policy
• research
• engagement
• moving on
• emphasizing the idea of feeling safe throughout the process of finding a home. 

88% of young people have moved on positively from Centrepoint, however, with national shortages in housing Centrepoint continues to need donations and support. 

If you would like to find out more about Centrepoint, hear about people's personal stories and learn more about our event, please follow our Instagram page at @sleepouttohelpout.