The Morgan Sindall Westvale team will be leaving the comfort of our beds for one night to help support young people facing homelessness.

We will be sleeping outside in our garden, swapping our bed for the sofa or staying awake for one night.

Around 121,000 young people are facing homelessness in the UK right now. Many young people are experiencing issues such as domestic abuse, leaving care, family breakdown or mental health issues. As a result, they become homeless because it’s safer to leave home than stay, or they simply have nowhere to go.

Grab your tents, sleeping bags and sleep outside in your garden or another safe outdoor space for one night. While this doesn’t aim to replicate the reality of homelessness, a night spent out in the cold helps us to imagine what it is like to not have a safe and warm place to call home.

Young people on the streets are often too frightened to fall asleep because of the risks of sleeping outside. For those without a permanent home, it can be too dangerous to allow themselves to become vulnerable while sleeping. They face risks of physical violence and there is no way to secure the few personal belongings they may have. This results in sleep deprivation which can lead to other physical and mental health problems.

Challenge yourself to stay awake for one night to raise awareness of young people facing sleepless nights on the streets.

Every night, there are thousands of “hidden homeless” young people who are forced to sleep on sofas, floors, public transport or with strangers. Without secure affordable housing, these young people face the frightening reality of having nowhere to call home. Sleeping on sofas or floors leads to a range of mental and physical health issues such as anxiety, joint pain, chronic fatigue and depression.

Give up your bed for one night and swap it for your sofa or floor to support young people who do not have a secure place to sleep.