Some of you may know, during my formative years as a teen, and during the ages of 14 - 16, I was lucky enough to be offered indoor areas to sleep in, sofas to sleep on, and eventually a hostel at 17. So many people don't even have access to that and unfortunately become accustomed? to living the way that they do. There are horrific stories of those living on the streets; being beaten up, and even set on fire!! Yet a study carried out in 2021, showed that around 300k of us Brits are only one payslip away from homelessness ourselves!

Since leaving care technically at 16, I have faced homelessness and/or been homeless 9 times, within 6 years! I moved to Stoke in 2008 at the tender age of 23, got a full-time job within a fortnight, and yet in the following 3 months faced homelessness again twice! Having gone through two rather different and rather difficult situations of renting rooms… fast forward nearly 17 years later, I am living in my own home with my partner, which is the longest in my (ahem) 39 years, that I have ever lived in the same home.

Whilst being a “care leaver” I am also now a Foster Parent and have been for 10 years – this is also another area where the “system” fails people - researchers have found that of care leavers presenting as homeless in 2022/23, three in five were already homeless by the time they received support from their local authority. According to Become 10.7 per cent of care leavers aged 18 to 20 were homeless or threatened with homelessness in 2022/23 …

The scale of homelessness is a notoriously difficult thing to quantify. There are many different types of homelessness, for starters. It’s not just rough sleeping — there are people trapped in temporary accommodation or hostels and shelters. And it is not always a visible problem. Hidden homelessness, also known as sofa surfing, is virtually impossible to count as people staying at friends or relatives’ homes are out of sight and often don’t consider themselves to be homeless.

This is why I am thankful that Stoke City Community Trust are holding The Big Sleep Out once again in 2025. This year’s event will be held again at the bet365 Stadium on Friday, February 21st. The charitable initiative encourages supporters and the wider community to help raise awareness of homelessness within the city and its surrounding areas. Participants get first-hand experience of what it’s like to brave the elements overnight as they bed down inside and outside the Franklyn Stand concourse, all whilst raising much-needed funds for local charities. The charities who will benefit in 2025 are The Macari Centre and Stoke City Community Trust.

Thank you for reading and thank you in advance for donating, even if it is £1 🙏

Ricci