On Friday night, 50 people swapped the creature comforts of central heating and a comfy bed for a night on the streets of Milton Keynes.
The YMCA Sleep Easy Campaign shines a light on homelessness. But what was it like taking part?
Anne Walsh shared her experience with Total MK...
How many of us turn the other cheek when we see someone homeless on the streets? Or walk by without giving them more than a minutes’ thought? I know I used to; and not because I didn’t care or didn’t want to do something to help, but because I simply didn’t know how!
But ignoring the increasing homelessness problem isn’t going to make it go away and that’s why I felt compelled to support the YMCA Sleep Easy Campaign.
During a meeting with YMCA Milton Keynes earlier this year, I was inspired by the amazing work that they are doing in the ‘Youth Homelessness Capital of the UK’, to prevent many young people from finding themselves on the streets. A new £19M Campus could be the start to changing the current homelessness crisis in the city.
Not only will the new building offer a roof over 199 young people’s heads, it will give them access to a network of support, training and opportunities that will give them the best possible outcome for the future.
So, armed with a sleeping bag and pillow and wearing as many items from my wardrobe as I could possibly get on, I pitched up outside Intu MK on 8th March and joined 50 other people to sleep rough for the night.
I’m not going to lie, I wasn’t looking forward to the experience, I’m not the type to go camping and I love my home comforts. I spent most of the week leading up to the Sleep Easy checking the weather forecast and asking people to cross their fingers that it didn’t rain! But when it came to it, I was ready for the challenge.
I took to the box building competition with enthusiasm, and way too much brown packaging tape! I enjoyed the camp fire sing song and the yummy food served up by Dreamsai and felt emotional during the screening of Owain Astles’ ‘Sleeping Rough’ film, a documentary focusing on the lives of three young people who found themselves homeless and their struggle to survive on the streets.
Sitting chatting around the camp fire, I finally took myself off to my sleeping bag at 1am and before I knew it, it was morning.
By 7am everyone was packing their boxes away and loading up ready to go home. We took left over snacks and sleeping bags to the homeless people sleeping in the nearby underpasses and their reaction will stay with me; “Normally we’re invisible” they said!
Driving home I felt guilty; guilt that I was going back to my nice warm house, a shower (or a few showers), a family that were waiting for me and wanting to know I was safe, and cupboards full of food and drink.
We can’t change the homelessness situation overnight, but we can all do a little more to improve things; from a simple smile of acknowledgement when you pass people on the streets, to donating, supporting or raising funds for charities like YMCA MK.
If you haven’t already, please donate to support YMCA MK at https://mkymca.com
You are invited to come and see the new campus take shape, on YMCA’s Hard Hat Tours, which take place on the last Thursday of every month from 12:30 – 14:00. Visit https://mkymca.com/news-events/events/ymca-mk-hard-hat-tours/ and register to take part.
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