A year ago I decided to move to London, leaving my family, friends, and most importantly, my home on the other side of the world. Little did I know that finding a place to live in this city would be one of the most challenging experiences I’ve ever had. The housing market being structurally unfair and the high demand, made this a particularly exhausting process. Despite my “privileged circumstances” when arriving to this country, I still felt vulnerable. This helped me understand how important it is to have a roof over my head, and somehow felt empathy for those in need with personal circumstances less favourable than mine.

Each day across all 32 London boroughs, Single Homeless Project work with individuals to tackle the underlying causes of homelessness, such as poor mental health or drug and alcohol dependency. With 40 years of expertise and a London-wide reach, we make a difference to more than 10,000 lives every year. Often that means being there for people at a critical time whether to prevent their eviction or help them off the street; to get them into drug or alcohol treatment or support them with their mental health; or to help them find a job and a flat so that they can take the final steps to living on their own.

I am happy to run for charity for the first time, a hobby of mine for quite some years now. Your donations are very important to support homelessness in London, I am certain that every small or big contribution is equally significant. Together we can build a shelter for those in need!