I will take part in a 24hour hunger strike outside Parliament.
This will be between 2pm 11^th December and 2pm 12^th December. 

This is an awareness event to the growing issue of homelessness across our nation. I will travel to London from Bournemouth to join in solidarity with others. I am spending a night on the streets, without food or shelter and with less than 48hours notice. This is not unknown and some will face a bleak and hopeless future with even less time or ability to prepare.

Coming from a seaside town we experience the same issues as our nation’s capital and sadly the same facts about homelessness.  

Such as:

·  The estimated number of rough sleepers in England rose by 169% between 2010 and 2017 due to a variety of reasons including shortages of affordable and supported housing, changes to benefit entitlements and the ongoing effects of the economic downturn which has made finding work more competitive.

·  Many homeless people have cited that they originally slept rough because they were asked to leave or were evicted from their previous accommodation.

·  Homelessness is extremely harmful to people’s well being and health.
Sleeping rough shortens life span by 30 years, with people likely to die
younger at 47, compared with 77 for the general population.

·  Early intervention is the most effective way to help newly homeless people off the streets.

·  Alcohol and drug abuse are common causes of death within homeless populations accounting for a 1/3 of all deaths.

·  Why people end up homeless is complex. People come from all walks of life but the majority have experienced significant trauma in their childhood or early adult years which they’ve never recovered from. Homelessness is often trigged by changes to someone's structural circumstances for instance, a lack of affordable housing or unemployment, combined with personal changes which commonly include relationship breakdown, poor mental or physical health and having grown up in care.

·  It is increasingly difficult to find affordable accommodation for homeless people. For some people, private rented accommodation is the only option. This has challenges with many landlords not accepting tenants in receipt of housing benefit. There is also an increasing number of rogue landlords who provide poor quality housing not fit for habitation.

2018 marks 50 years since a group of Bournemouth churches came together to address a housing crisis, forming what we now know as BCHA.BCHA provides practical solutions to homelessness, unemployment, social exclusion and the need for more affordable housing across the South of England. To celebrate this amazing anniversary, we are bringing together our local community, companies, partners and supporters in a new campaign - Bchangemakers – which will look back on lives we have helped transform over the past 50 years and forward to new exciting projects and to enable us to continue to offer the wide range of services we provideWe will tell 50 stories about “changemakers” across our communities, celebrate the fantastic work of our people and partners, and equip more people to find a way to make a difference – through partnerships, sponsorship, fundraising, donations and volunteering.The campaign will demonstrate how investing in housing solutions can create opportunities for people across society. Visit www.bchangemakers.org.uk