A councillor, who has herself experienced life on the streets, is urging the city to get behind the St Basils homeless charity’s BIG SleepOut as the annual fundraising event celebrates its 25th year.
The young people’s homeless charity is hoping this year’s event on November 28 will see more people than ever taking part to help mark the occasion and prove the biggest and best yet.
Their call is being backed by Coun Sharon Thompson (Lab, Soho), who became homeless at the age of 17 and lived at St Basils’ accommodation in the late 1990s.
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She has since gone on to complete a degree through the Open University and is now both a councillor and a magistrate, as well as being a director on the St Basils board.
Coun Thompson said: “As this is the 25th year of BIG SleepOut this is the opportunity for Birmingham to get behind this event and St Basils and all this charity does to help prevent young people from becoming homeless and help them to go on to achieve in life and create a better future.
“We don’t want to see young people in crisis and homeless. We want the next generation to have a bright future and that’s what supporting this event is all about so please join us and sleep out so young people don’t have to.”
The BIG SleepOut is one of the longest-running events of its kind and each years sees hundreds of fundraisers, a majority of whom are from the Midland corporate world, experience what it is like to sleep on the streets.
Each year a stretch of Digbeth near St Basils’ headquarters is turned into a veritable cardboard city for the night as people take up the challenge of experiencing what it is like to sleep rough in winter.
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The charity is aiming to get 414 people to take part in this year’s BIG SleepOut, mirroring the number of vulnerable young people it houses every night.
St Basils supports young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness with advice and prevention services, accommodation, support and learning, skills and work services.
The charity is reliant on donations from the general public and income from fundraising events like the BIG SleepOut to provide the support it offers to young people.
The BIG SleepOut is again being sponsored by Solihull-based firm Jaffabox, who are providing all the cardboard for those taking part in the challenge.
Jean Templeton, chief executive of St Basils said: “We have a grand ambition to end youth homelessness in this city.
“We know that a safe home, a job, and to be cared about are fundamental to achieving this ambition. We have never been able to do that alone.
“We need the continuing support of local people to ensure there is a positive pathway for all young people in the city who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
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“It takes a whole city to look after its young people. By taking part in this event Birmingham is taking a stand and saying not in our backyard.”
* To sign-up for the BIG SleepOut visit www.stbasils.org.uk/sleepout.