An eye-witness of the big charity sleepout
On the 1st May I took part in the York charity sleepout at the LNER Community stadium. The sleepout was raising money and awareness for Restore, along with three other local charities: Safe and Sound Homes (SASH), who provide youth homelessness prevention services; York City Football Club Foundation, who exist to make positive changes in the local community, and Kitchen for Everyone York (KEY) who provide hot meals, drinks and snacks to those on the streets. Together with the support of media partners YO1 Radio, these four charities worked together to raise money to support their work among homeless individuals, rough sleepers, and disadvantaged families. The event was not intended to replicate homelessness, but rather to experience just a fraction of what it’s like to sleep rough.
We did our event in May, on what was fortunately a warm and dry day/night. Yet, despite the reaching 25 degrees Celsius in the daytime, as the sun sank, so did the nighttime temperatures, and we were all cold by the early hours of the morning. For many of us, the cold made it difficult to sleep, despite having the luxury of layers and a warm sleeping bag. Feeling the cold chill of the wind at 5am made me think about the individuals for whom that is a constant reality. I particularly thought about people who experience rough sleeping during the colder months of the year, when temperatures can drop below freezing, and rough sleepers are at the mercy of the great British weather’s propensity for rain and wind.
However, it wasn’t just the cold that hindered people’s ability to sleep; the hard floor made for a very uncomfortable bed, and you could hear a continuous rustling sound, as people shifted on their cardboard or roll mat each time their sleeping position began to ache. The sound of people moving around in discomfort was accompanied by the cawing of seagulls, and the snores of those few who had the fortune of falling asleep. As noisy and sleepless as it may have been for us though, we were in the seclusion of the football stadium, rather than the busy city centre bustling with party-goers, tourists and a steady stream of traffic. After a restless, cold and uncomfortable night, the majority of attendees were headed home to the comfort of their own beds, to get some much-needed sleep. That’s the crucial difference between those of us taking part in the sleepout and those for whom homelessness is their reality; for us it was just one night, with the knowledge that we had a comfortable and safe home to go back to in the morning. For individuals experiencing homelessness, whether that’s rough sleeping, sofa surfing or hostel hopping, a good night’s sleep in a safe, warm, quiet and comfortable place is never guaranteed.
One of my main concerns going into the sleepout was for my own safety. I felt like I was putting myself in a vulnerable position by sleeping outside amongst people I didn’t know. In the buildup to the sleepout I experienced a lot of anxiety around this, worried about who may be around me and what could happen whilst I slept. Even though I was sleeping in a contained space and had some people around me that I knew, this anxiety was still enough to keep me awake all night. For individuals experiencing homelessness, safety is a very real concern. Anyone experiencing homelessness, whether that’s living in hostels, sofa surfing, or rough sleeping, is in a vulnerable position and their safety cannot be guaranteed. Homelessness exposes people to violence and they can be at risk of being attacked or taken advantage of by strangers, or people they know. When individuals are homeless, particularly in hostels, they are around other vulnerable persons who may be exhibiting challenging or distressing behavior. Many of our residents express how unsafe they felt during their period of homelessness, with residents saying that hostels often felt chaotic and unsafe. One of our residents explained that when he was rough sleeping he had to choose between sleeping in public or in an isolated area, with both options having their own level of risk; another resident said that he would often go to sleep not knowing if he would even wake up. In short; being homeless is terrifying, and as a result many rough sleepers, particularly females, chose to sleep during the day, as sleeping at night is too unsafe.
This is the stark reality for anyone experiencing homelessness. Homelessness can affect anyone from children, to professionals, to the elderly and the story of how they ended up homeless is different for each individual. However, everyone who is homeless faces the similar challenges: social isolation; a lack of safety; cold and unsuitable sleeping conditions, and a constant state of anxiety around where they will sleep, whether they wake up the next day, and how long will life look this way for them. If my participation in the sleepout means that Restore and our other charity partners can save even one more person from this life, then my sleepless night will have all been worthwhile.