The YMCA are hosting their 10th annual sleep easy event in Lincoln tonight and will be joined by over 100 people.
The event is to tackle homelessness in Lincoln and to raise money for the Sleep Easy scheme. The Nomad Trust aims to raise £30,000 through their campaign.
Participants will arrive at 7pm at Lincoln Cathedral tonight until 7am on Saturday 16th March 2019.
Last year, over 60 people slept on the street in aid of the charity and are issued a registration pack before the event. It will cost £15 for attending the night, in which all funds will go directly to YMCA Lincolnshire and towards building a vital day centre in Lincoln.
Zoe Conville, marketing officer at the YMCA said: ‘We have over 100 people signed up to this year’s event which includes a vast range of people.
We have been encouraged by the increased focus and commitment of organisations in the city who have partnered to help those who are forced to sleep rough. Just in the past year there has been significant additional funding made available to improve the services offered to those in need.’
Lincolnshire Action Trust and Lincoln Cathedral are also supporting and taking part in the event. The Police and Crime Commissioner Marc Jones has signed up to the night. He said: ‘Sleeping rough for one night doesn’t begin to replicate the horrific conditions and hardship faced by those who are genuinely homeless.
“But an event like this is vital for raising much needed funds and for raising the profile of an issue that our society needs to face and deal with.”
The YMCA is currently housing 108 people aged 18-66 and is one of the biggest providers of supported accommodation in Lincoln. It merged with the Nomad Trust in 2013.
In the period of 2016/17, over 6000 homeless applications were made to housing authorities across Lincolnshire, and in 2017, 80 people were recorded as homeless in Lincoln.
The Linc had an interview with Lincolnshire Action Trust’s director of operations, Christina Hall over the upcoming night: