Diocesan News04 Feb 16

Via Wings staff sleepout to highlight the ‘homeless within four walls’

From 8.00 pm on Friday 5 February, until 8.00 am the next morning, 10 staff members from the Dromore charity Via Wings will be sleeping rough in the town’s square.

The #VWintheirshoes Staff Sleepout will raise awareness, not just of homelessness but also the appalling living conditions the charity witnesses every week. Other volunteers will be part of 24 hours of prayer in the Hope & Soul upcycling store.

Via Wings founder, Gail Redmond, will be one of those out on the streets. She explained:
“We want to raise awareness of the awful conditions some of the people in our community live in inside their houses. These homes can be colder inside than the temperature outside because there’s no heating and no way to stay warm – not even beds or sheets. They’re effectively homeless within four walls.”

“We’re going to go out in the clothes we stand in and challenge the community to bring us sleeping bags, blankets, warm coats, tea and coffee and any food that someone living on the street could eat. And because our ethos is to give away what we’re given, we’ll be donating all those items to a charity in Belfast.”

The sleepout will raise funds for the Via Wings home refurbishment team which works to transform houses into homes and supplying comforts that most of us would take for granted.

If you can support in any way, please visit the Just Giving page to donate or come along on the night to encourage the team or to bring drinks/food, coats or sleeping bags.

Photo credit: Drew McWilliams