Two of Alpha’s staff took part in the ‘Sleep Out 2014’, held by Kent based housing association, MHS Homes. The event aims to raise money for two local charities – a homeless organisation, Caring Hands in the Community and the Kent Autistic Trust. The team at Alpha have so far raised an impressive £938.50, with the total continuing to grow and being donated to the local homeless charity.

MHS Homes holds a sleep out every two years with the aim to raise £10,000, which is then split between the two local causes. The event, which took place from 8pm on 25th January until 6am the next day, saw Matt Hobbs and John Binney of Alpha, sleep out in the car park of the MHS Homes’ Broadside office in Chatham in Alpha boiler cardboard boxes, along with hundreds of other determined and resilient local residents.

The all night fundraiser was held to highlight the harsh reality of being homeless, and to highlight the work that the charities do locally to support homeless or vulnerable people and to raise money for Caring Hands in the Community, a local homelessness charity, and Kent Autistic Trust, MHS Homes’ staff-chosen charity of 2014, which supports adults with Autistic Spectrum conditions across Kent.

John Binney, one of the Alpha participants said: “The sleep out event is a really unique and rewarding experience that gives us some sense of what it is like to sleep rough for a night. It was a harsh wake up call to the way in which millions of people live their lives every day and we are really pleased with all the support we received.”