Georgina Davies’ Post

On Thursday last week, I swapped the comfort of my bed for a sleeping bag on the cold concrete as part of Centrepoint Sleep Out event. CentrePoint is an incredible charity working with young people aged 16-25 who are or at risk of homeless . This experience gave me just a tiny glimpse into the harsh realities faced by so many young people in the UK. What was the hardest part? It wasn’t what I was expecting it to be. As a person that wears 3-4 layers inside from October - February, it wasn’t the cold that was hard. And it wasn’t the lack of sleep after the years of parenting two children, I’m used to that. It was the feeling of vulnerability. That despite being in a secure, organised environment cushioned on all sides by work colleagues, I was exposed to the elements, to potential danger. Hyper aware all night, little sleep was had and anxiety rose. Functioning the next day was hard, and that was only after one night out on the streets. What struck me the most? The path to homelessness starts much sooner than we think. Society often portrays young people as falling on hard times and leaving the family home. But the path to homelessness starts much sooner than that. When people, young people in particular, don’t have the foundational level of support they need at home or at school, little by little their opportunities to progress in life reduce. The gap widens with each obstacle making it almost impossible for them create a stable, loving and safe life for themselves. Centrepoint exist to help break that cycle, providing guidance and support, not just shelter, to help young people create the lives they deserve. How can you help? Homelessness is an issue we can all play a part in addressing. Please consider donating to my fundraising page linked below. Your contribution, no matter how small, can help CentrePoint provide the support young people need to turn their lives around and give them a fighting chance! Together, we can make a difference. #SleepOut #EndYouthHomelessness #CentrePoint

Every 4 mins a young person becomes homeless in the UK. Almost 136,000 young people are homeless or at the risk of homelessness. Homeless young people face more heart-breaking and complex challenges by early adulthood than most of us will experience in a lifetime. Many have lost hope, especially as the numbers continue to rise. To raise awareness of such staggering statistics, ManpowerGroup have partnered with Centrepoint, the UK leading youth homeless charity, to support their ambition in ending youth homelessness by 2037. At ManpowerGroup we believe that sustainable employment has the power to change the world, never more so true than when supporting a young person into employment significantly reduces the risk of homelessness. This is why this partnership is so important to us. In support of raising awareness the UK leadership team will be swapping their beds for sleeping bags this chilly November and taking part in Centrepoint’s Big Sleep Out. Taking part in the Sleep Out helps to build awareness and give comfort to every young person that they matter, and the money raised will help Centrepoint’s vital work in helping each person, wherever they are on their journey towards independence. £20 could fund a counselling session, ensuring those experiencing a mental health crisis can start receiving the vital specialist support they need. £120 could fund essential start packs for 50 homeless young people arriving at their hostels, ensuring they have fresh bedding, towels, toiletries, cooking equipment and winter clothing. £250 could support their education bursary scheme, paying for course fees and essential travel costs, and items needed to access and engage in an education and training course. We know that one night will not change the world, but we know it will help raise awareness and bring attention to this ever-important topic. It might not be the most comfortable night sleep, but it will certainly be the most meaningful. If you have any spare change and would like to donate, please click on the link below 👇 ❤️ https://lnkd.in/e-zYsH85

Last night, I swapped the comfort of my bed for a sleeping bag on the cold concrete as part of #centrepoint's Sleep Out event. CentrePoint is an incredible charity working with young people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. This experience gave me just a tiny glimpse into the harsh realities faced by so many young people in the UK. What was the hardest part? The cold. The noise. The feeling of vulnerability. Even knowing I was in a safe and organised environment, it was unsettling. It made me reflect deeply on how different it must feel for young people who face this uncertainty every night. What struck me the most? At the event, we learned about the complex factors that lead to homelessness. These can include family breakdowns, leaving care, escaping abuse, or simply being dealt an unfair hand in life. One fact stood out to me: homelessness isn’t just about not having a roof over your head, it’s about losing opportunities for education, employment, and stability. The cycle can feel impossible to break without support. How can you help? Homelessness is an issue we can all play a part in addressing. Please consider donating to my fundraising page https://lnkd.in/e-ED9sWd. Your contribution, no matter how small, can help CentrePoint provide the support young people need to turn their lives around. Together, we can make a difference.

On Thursday 14th November, I'll be joining some of my manifesto colleagues at Centrepoint's Sleep Out 2024. I'll be giving up my home comforts and bed for a sleeping bag on the floor on a cold wintry night to help ensure every young person is helped with the strong foundations – a job and a home. Currently, around 136,000 young people face homelessness in the UK each year. That’s a 5% increase compared to previous years, and sadly, its expected that those numbers will to continue to rise. We know that vulnerable groups are always the worst hit by changes affecting our society and more young people than ever before find themselves vulnerable and without a place to call home. If you're able to sponsor me to sleep out so that we’re able end youth homelessness regardless of what lies ahead it would be greatly appreciated. What Your Support Can Do: £10 provides a young person with a warm meal £20 funds essential mental health support £50 supports career and job training £100+ goes toward safe accommodation and education programs The link to donate is:

Homelessness is a growing issue in the UK, with a 74% increase in the number of people sleeping rough on a single night since 2010. It's a crisis that has devastating consequences, with over 1,300 homeless people dying in the UK in 2022. Shockingly, 36% of these deaths were related to drugs and alcohol, and 10% were by suicide. We must come together as a community to address this issue and work towards providing safe and stable housing for those in need. Tomorrow, I will be joining other business leaders in Leicester for another CEO Sleepout UK event, where we raise awareness of homelessness and fundraise to ease the pain of the homeless in our society. Link with statistics: https://lnkd.in/em-Nwc66 #nothome #homelessnessawareness #endhomelessness #xtanlee #stanleyohikhuare

🚨At least 309,000 people are homeless in England, today, including almost 140,000 children! That's a stark increase of 14%, 38,100 people, since last year. ⚠️ So let's take a look further👇 Shelter’s comprehensive analysis of official homelessness figures and responses to Freedom of Information requests reveals 1 in 182 people in England are homeless today. The charity’s research shows homelessness has risen rapidly in just 12 months: over 3,000 people are sleeping rough on any given night (26% increase) and 279,400 are living in temporary accommodation (14% increase) - most of whom are families. There are also 20,000 people in hostels or supported accommodation. ➡️ There is SO much more to be done!

🚨 BREAKING: Record Number of Homeless Children in England 🚨   I am posting this just to highlight what is going on the UK right now. It is something to think about over this Christmas as thousands of children are on the streets. Sometimes they just need someone to talk to rather than just walking past them.   The latest figures reveal a shameful new record: 151,630 children are now homeless and living in temporary accommodation. This is a 15% increase in just one year and the highest number since records began in 2004. 🏠💔   Key Facts: 8,860 families are in emergency accommodations like B&Bs and hostels, up 29% from last year. 117,450 households are in temporary accommodation, a 12% increase. The leading cause? Loss of private tenancies, affecting over 23,510 households.   Shelter’s Call to Action: Polly Neate, Chief Executive of Shelter, urges the government to:   Invest in affordable social homes. Establish a cross-department homelessness strategy. Scrap no-fault evictions.   Without immediate action, thousands more children will face the trauma of homelessness. 🛑🏠 see less Shelter #homelesschildren #England

Tackling homelessness can't be done in isolation. This episode is a testament to that, as we delve into the grassroots efforts of Topeka JUMP (Justice Unity & Ministry Project), supported by 29 faith communities, and their bottom-up approach to societal concerns. We visit with JUMP organizers Sarah Balzer, Jason Maymon, and JUMP Executive Committee member, Nate Marsh, to examine how tensions and challenges are not hurdles but catalysts that, when approached with compassion and understanding, fuel the advocacy for solutions that echo the core tenets of faith and activism. We round off our discussion by debunking misconceptions about TRM's plans for a low barrier shelter, emphasizing the need for informed collaboration across various sectors to truly address the needs of the homeless. The potential outcomes of the city council meeting, the role of organizations like JUMP, and the significance of a long-term commitment to change are all topics we dissect. Join us as we explore the importance of understanding homelessness beyond stereotypes, and as we extend an open invitation to those keen on making a tangible difference in our community. https://bit.ly/OCOM_Ep223

Our aim in Sheffield is to end homelessness. Today, on World Homeless Day we are restating our commitment. People sleeping rough and hearing about families living in temporary accommodation has, sadly, become familiar in recent years. But there is nothing inevitable about homelessness. It can be tackled and we are developing new ways to prevent people from becoming homeless. Sheffield City Council is part of the Homewards Sheffield Coalition, along with with healthcare providers, mental health services, our city’s two universities, local businesses and grassroots community organisations, and crucially, people who have lived experience of being homeless. The coalition in our city will focus efforts on getting people the help they need before they lose their homes. This will mean focusing on families experiencing ‘hidden’ homelessness, including those who are living in temporary accommodation such as hostels, hotels and shelters. More details about our work with Homewards will be shared soon. For now you can find out more here in this article: https://lnkd.in/eHK4Eqpy

Today ends a week where we have seen reports of our world-leading position on homelessness, and for all the wrong reasons. The numbers in temporary accommodation have more than doubled since 2010 and a record high number of children are living in temporary accommodation. This is the backdrop to persisting challenges for people facing a night on the streets and the lost opportunity – for now at least – to bring about the long-promised ban on no fault evictions. By New Years Eve 2023, over 5,000 households were experiencing or facing homelessness in the city-region, and over 1,600 households had been served a no fault eviction notice in the last year. It has been good to see some of these issues raised in conversations around #UKREIF (see Michael Howard) and I was pleased to join a panel at the #DTXM24 expo in Manchester raising the issue of homelessness in the context of social mobility and digital exclusion. But as parliament gets set to dissolve and campaigning begins in earnest, let all of us challenge those in power or keen to take office to take more urgent action. Everyone should have the right to a safe and secure home, to live in dignity and to thrive, not simply survive. Our homes are the fundamental building blocks of our flourishing lives, and we should do everything in our power to ensure that everyone has one. Heading into a long weekend where many of us will enjoy downtime with family, time to relax and recuperate at home or on holiday, think of what you can ask of those standing for MP in your area to ensure that everyone does have a home. That no one has to spend a night on the streets. And that everyone is secure. Together, we can end homelessness.