The aim of The Brewery Sleepout 2021 is to raise awareness of and funds for those less fortunate who sleep every night on the streets.

 On any given night, tens of thousands of families and individuals are experiencing homelessness across Great Britain. The longer someone experiences rough sleeping the more likely they are to face challenges around trauma, mental health and drug misuse. Nearly half of all people sleeping rough in the UK on a single night in Autumn are those in London and the South East of England.

With furlough measures ending, evictions looming and the cost of heating rising, many households are struggling to keep hold of their properties. Charities have also been hit with fundraising activities on hold for almost two years due to the Covid-19 pandemic. Data shows that there has been an increase in homelessness within Havering and the event and funds raised will be donated to Romford based charity, Ahava Community, formally Hope4Havering, and Zarach which delivers beds and basics to children in poverty. 

Ahava Community works tirelessly to help and support the local homeless people by providing shelter and offering transformation programmes, which helps to mentor vulnerable individuals with the main philosophy being ‘Rescue. Revive. Renew.’. The charity has recently extended beyond Romford to cover areas including Harlow and Dartford in Kent. Zarach is a charity committed to helping children and families who are living in poverty. Active in both schools and the community, they have witnessed a surge in requests for help in the latest lockdown, many from affluent areas. This year, to further raise awareness of homelessness among families, we are looking to encourage local schools to support the cause with their own sponsored events. 

It is the second year that The Brewery has supported local charities to raise awareness of homelessness and raise essential funds to help combat homelessness. The last Brewery sleepout in 2019 raised over £10k for the charity and is aiming to exceed this target in 2021.

The overnight sleepout is a Brewery management-only activity, but the entire Romford community can easily get involved. Those families wishing to support can donate food and useful kitchen items to Hope4Havering in the centre. Alternatively, donations can be made through this page and merchandise can be purchased from the Hope4Havering shop at The Brewery Shopping Centre.