Over 20 members of a Wolverhampton men’s mental health charity fought the elements and biting cold to spend 24-hours on the streets of the city this weekend.
Mandem Meetup’s fifth annual Sleepout was its biggest yet with a record turnout helping to promote awareness of male homelessness, whilst also generating funds to support its day-to-day activities.
The organisation completed eight hours of outreach work outside Lloyds Bank in Queen Square before moving to Beatties’ entrance for sleep, shelter and more conversations.
They were joined there by four homeless people, who were fed, given warm clothing and sleeping bags and signposted to local charities who may be able to help them gain some form of accommodation.“
According to recent estimates, 83% of people living on the street are male, a stark reminder of the disproportionate impact homelessness has on men and the urgent need for tailored support services,” explained Christian Denton, Lead Facilitator of Mandem Meet-up Wolverhampton.
“For many, homelessness is deeply entangled with mental health difficulties, social isolation, and lack of access to safe, consistent support. That’s where we want to step in a help people.”
He continued: “The Sleepout was a very humbling experience. It gave us the chance to reflect on our own lives, some of the challenges we face and, importantly, our achievements.
“There was also a commitment from a lot of our members to hold another Sleepout, as they felt it was a really important way of raising awareness and giving something back.”
Last year, the Sleepout raised a significant amount of money and Mandem Meet-up want to go one better this year.
The charity, which provides peer-to-per network support, social activities and football/boxing classes, has lots of exciting plans to offer more connections, more safer places and, importantly, more hope to people who might otherwise slip through the cracks.
To meet growing demand for mental health and crisis support, the Mandem team is urging people to continue to get behind its crowdfunder page (https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/p/mens-mental-health-and-24-hour-street-sleepout) to take the total from the hundreds into the thousands of pounds.
Christian concluded: “Every year this movement grows and every year we are reminded how many men feel forgotten or unseen.
“The Sleepout isn’t just about raising money, it’s about showing up! We did that on Saturday, engaging with hundreds of people during the day and night and hopefully this will play a role in getting more men off the streets.”
