Supporters of the youth homelessness charity SASH will be spending a night under the stars at the CNG Stadium on 20th April to raise funds and awareness for SASH's work in Harrogate.
SASH helps young people who are facing homelessness by offering them a room in a volunteer's home. The charity's services ensure that vulnerable 16-25 year olds are kept safe at night and that they have the support they need to find somewhere permanent to stay.
Harrogate is the second busiest area for SASH in North Yorkshire after Scarborough, accounting for 21 per cent of all the referrals it received to its emergency service last year. In 2017 the charity offered 244 nights of emergency accommodation to young people in Harrogate and yet awareness of the problem of youth homelessness in Harrogate remains very low.
With the support of CNG, the charity is holding a ‘sleepout' event, in which participants get sponsored to spend the night outdoors with just a sleeping bag and cardboard for shelter. The aim is to raise awareness of the problem of youth homelessness in Harrogate and raise money for the charity's services in the area this year.
Jacqui Hall, CNG MD said: "We're excited to be supporting SASH at the Harrogate sleepout, shedding light on the amazing work they do to prevent homelessness in young people in our area. With many people in the 16-25 age bracket within our team, it really hit home how it could easily be any of us, so we wanted to take action to show our support and raise them some much needed funds. It's going to be a tough night, but we're doing it in the hope it will help SASH make a difference to those who face this every day. We hope to see some supporters at the CNG stadium!"
The charity is keen for as many people as possible take part in the event and help spread the word about how SASH helps.
Business Development Manager Ruth Fawcett said: “If you live in the Harrogate area and are concerned about what happens to young people who have nowhere safe to stay, please join us for the Sleepout, raise some funds and tell your friends, family and colleagues about our work. We need lots more supporters and volunteers in Harrogate so if you think you can help please get in touch.”
Anyone interested in finding our more can visit the SASH website at www.sash-uk.org.uk.