Councillors and political hopefuls were among a group of 37 who slept rough in a playground last week to raise awareness of youth homelessness.
They roughed it outside the Christ the Saviour Church of England Primary School in Springbridge Road, Ealing, on Friday February 28 as part of the YMCA’s Sleep Easy event.
Ealing Mayor Kamaljit Dhindsa launched the event and participants included 27 students from the University of West London, YMCA officials and Ealing Liberal Democrat councillors Gary Malcolm, Andrew Steed and Jon Ball.
The temperature fell to one degree, but pizzas donated by Pizza Express and Farizza, cardboard boxes donated by Space Station, Brentford, and Zumba teacher Yola Bastos, kept people warm.
Councillor Jon Ball said: “It’s crucial to raise people’s awareness of homelessness and the fantastic work WLYMCA does. We just slept rough for one night but for too many people this is a nightly experience.”
Another participant, council candidate Alex Nieora said: “The experience of understanding what is like to sleep homeless enables us to empathise with young people in that situation. The social element of the night was really valuable too.”
Clare Scott Booth, Chief Executive of WLYMCA, said: “This event highlights youth homelessness, which has risen 57 per cent since the start of the financial crisis in 2008, and raises funds to help young people move to independence. We believe every young person in Ealing should have a safe place to stay.”
