2023 - May, Our news

Champions in sleeping bags! On Tuesday 16 May, six PA Housing colleagues gave up their beds to brave the cold, pitch-side concrete of Leicester City's King Power Stadium for the night. 

They did so as part of the first Sleep Easy event organised by YMCA Leicestershire, who do incredible work providing safe accommodation for homeless people aged between 16 and 25 in the local area. The charity also run skill sessions to support these young people to move forward with their lives. 

In addition, YMCA Leicestershire offers a welcoming environment for street sleepers of all ages where they can receive breakfast, cups of tea, clean clothes, and advice about finding accommodation and other support. 

On the last count, the fundraising page for PA Housing had reached a whopping £2,231 with some astonishing donations from our partners at Jobtrain, Crossland, and Q Learning. PA Housing also contributed a sum of £500 towards this total.  

Check out the link below to see the latest grand total raised by all the organisations that took part –  £15,500 so far! However, that isn't counting Gift Aid and the £20 entrance fee that all the participants paid too, so the true figure is even more impressive than that. 

Click here

How did our colleagues get on?

After a short briefing going through the ground rules (no running across the pitch!), and some inspiring speeches from the organisers, the participants were then granted the privilege of a mini tour of the stadium.​​​​​​​ There was also some entertainment from two saxophonists throughout the evening too. 

The tour around the stadium was really interesting as a lifelong Leicester fan (for my sins), but once that had finished, it was up to us to customise our cardboard lodgings, pass the time playing games, and chat amongst ourselves and our fellow fundraisers. At this point, you may be thinking that it all looked like good fun and that there wasn't much of a challenge involved. But then, as we laid down to get some rest, I was immediately struck by just how hard and unforgiving the concrete below was. To make matters worse, the glorious spring sunshine left us and the cold winds picked up as we moved into the night. Many homeless people sleep rough throughout the year —right into the coldest parts of winter — so by comparison, one night in a safe football stadium was very tame. However, I found myself woefully unprepared, in a paper-thin sleeping bag, and without the blankets or layers to warm myself. As a result, I didn't get a wink of sleep, but it certainly taught me a lot about the struggles that homeless people go through on a daily basis. It also gave me a chance to reflect on my home comforts as I watched the beautiful sunrise overhead.

Marco, Junior Communications Officer

For me, it was about exploring how PA can get more involved in work to alleviate homelessness, potentially including partnerships with the likes of YMCA Leicestershire who organised the event. This speaks to the heart of the housing association movement. I also wanted to personally experience rough sleeping for a night to gain more of an appreciation of what people are going through on our streets. It was a more gruelling and painful experience than I was expecting, and my joints are still aching — but this was for one night only in a controlled and safe environment with some facilities on hand if needed. So, the reality of being out on the streets in all weathers really is on another level. Despite the discomfort of the sleep attempt itself, it was a very well-organised event and great fun, with the small cohort of PA colleagues interacting with people from other companies. Hopefully, if there is a similar sleepout next year, we can bring a larger contingent along and help to grow the event.

Simon, Executive Director of Resources

My thoughts around taking part were that, as humans, we all have to understand that life and circumstances can change in the blink of an eye. Any of us could become homeless through no fault of our own and I think it’s really important for us all to humble ourselves. This experience was just a small glimpse of how difficult it is for people living on the streets.

Charlene, Income Team Leader

Not all heroes wear capes... some wear hoodies and beanies.

Pictured: the six colleagues enjoying a complimentary hot drink, courtesy of the YMCA and the local Holiday Inn. Some were clearly so tired that they couldn't open their eyes for the photo!