Leading By Example
On Monday 24th October 2022, Play It Green Founders, Chris and Richard slept rough as part of the CEO Sleepout to raise money for De Paul UK.
The CEO Sleepout is the brainchild of Bianca Robinson and it brings business leaders together for an unforgettable and humbling night of sleeping rough under the stars, uniting to fight homelessness in cities across the UK.
Since its launch, the Sleepout has seen more than 5000 executives have raised £3,000,000, donating to over 100 charities, and changing countless lives.
The sleep out gives a taste of what it is like to be homeless and even though it only lasts a night, has seen CEOs leave with a sense of just how priveledged they are and the drive to create even greater positive change.
Why The Sleepout Is Important
Imagine being without a place to live, food to eat, or a place to feel safe.
That is the misery that over 260,000 homeless people in the UK are currently experiencing.
And it’s becoming worse as people are forced out of their houses and into unfit housing or even onto the streets by the rising cost of living.
Recent studies show the shocking truth around homelessness in England:
Over 260,000 people in England are homeless and in temporary accommodation
Over 61% of adults in England living in temporary accommodation are women
Single parents make up 72% of all homeless families living in temporary accommodation, but only 24% of families
1 in 23 black households become homeless or are at risk of becoming homeless, compared to 1 in 83 households from all other ethnicities
24% of young homeless people in the UK are LGBT+
More than half (55%) of people who make a homeless application are aged between 16 and 34Source: Shelter, AKT, MHCLG
De Paul UK, Our Founders Choice
Both our Founders, Chris and Richard chose to raise money for De Paul UK one of Play It Green’s #Regiving partners and a charity doing amazing work.
Depaul UK helps people who are homeless, vulnerable and disadvantaged.
They focus on young people in crisis and beyond.
Depaul UK works with some of the most disadvantaged young people in the UK.
They specialise in working in communities where poverty and long-term unemployment have resulted in generations of social exclusion and high rates of homelessness.
They support young people by:
- Offering a safe place to stay in a crisis.
- Helping them to take the step from homelessness into stable housing.
- Providing specialist long-term support to help get lives back on track.
Depaul International is the parent charity of the Depaul Group, a group of charities that works across the world with a mission to end homelessness and change the lives of those affected by it.
The event raised over £31,000 raised for the homeless on the night and the CEO Sleepout UK should raise over £50,000 (just in Manchester) once the follow-up fundraising has finished.
There were also some great talks by the charities being sponsored, including Barnabus, Depaul UK, Diane Modahl Sports Foundation (DMSF), Walking With The Wounded and Genna Bowyer.
