This is my 3rd year taking part in Framework's annual Big Sleepout event to raise money for the Framework Charity. This year it will be held at the Forest Recreation Ground in Nottingham.

I have been a regular volunteer at Framework working closely with the long-term unemployed, many of whom are vulnerable adults, but more recently as a street-outreach worker monitoring the streets and wastelands at dawn to check on the health and well-being of rough sleepers. One thing I have learned from this is that the causes of homelessness can be surprisingly complex. It takes only 5 days for a rough sleeper to become 'entrenched' in life on the streets, and this means that help and accommodation are often refused by the rough sleeper because a mental 'switch' occurs by which life on the streets becomes acceptable to the person - and in many cases, a preferred way to live. Simply offering a home to a homeless person is, unfortunately, often not the answer - and Framework works closely with these people to build their trust, monitor and support their health, and gradually make that switch back to civilisation.

Once accommodation is in place, Framework works with the client to provide the right level of support to enable independent living - by way of teaching e.g. skills for cooking, budgeting, shopping, socialising, keeping healthy and (where possible) getting them ready for employment.

There are various levels of service offered by Framework - not all clients start off as rough sleepers, and many are helped by Framework to get back into employment, or prevent the threat of homelessness in vulnerable adults. The work that Framework does has helped thousands of men and women from a range of backgrounds, with a wide range of vulnerabilities. It is worth bearing in mind that given the perfect storm of events, anyone can become homeless.   

Thanks for taking the time to visit my JustGiving page. Donating through JustGiving is simple, fast and totally secure. Your details are safe with JustGiving - they'll never sell them on or send unwanted emails. Once you donate, they'll send your money directly to the charity. So it's the most efficient way to donate - saving time and cutting costs for the charity.