The Homeless Fund: Our sleep out helps raise £400,000 for homeless

Thousands of Londoners slept rough in the rain this weekend to help raise more than £400,000 for charities being funded through our homeless appeal.

The World’s Big Sleep Out (WBSO), run in London in association with this paper’s appeal, saw nearly 2,000 people brave the cold in Trafalgar Square on Saturday night.

Dame Helen Mirren was among celebrities lending support by addressing those sleeping out.

They were there as part of a global effort which saw sleep outs take place in 52 cities around the world, aiming to raise a final total of about £40 million to tackle homelessness.

Five charities our appeal is supporting — Depaul, The Big Issue, Homeless Link, Thames Reach and The Connection at St Martin’s — will receive a share of the money raised at the event.

The Standard and Independent proprietor Evgeny Lebedev said: “The Big Sleep Out is a cheerful reminder of the bleak reality that many homeless people face in London and around the world. Bravo to the organisers, the sleepers and to Dame Helen Mirren.”

Those taking part, who fundraised ahead of spending the night on the pavement, had only a plastic sleeping bag cover to protect them from the downpour.

Construction firm manager Silka Kennedy-Todd, 44, from East Dulwich, said: “It was good that it rained heavily because it’s a reminder of just how terrible people’s lives are on the streets.”

Cleo Mathison, 39, who works in Charing Cross and sees homeless people daily said: “It makes you feel grateful because things could go wrong for any of us.”

This paper, along with The Independent, has launched a two-year appeal to help raise funds for projects that our coalition of 23 charities — the London Homeless Collective — believes are vital.

The money raised at the Sleep Out is a major step in achieving our aims.

Dame Helen, 74, told the Standard: “It’s important for all of us to put our heads together to confront this issue.”

More than £800,000 was raised at the London WBSO, with half going towards global initiatives supporting homeless people worldwide.

Funds are still being raised and a final total will be announced by Christmas. Major sponsors of the London sleep out included Insights Group, M&G, Deloitte, Arup and Unilever.

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