Can sleeping rough help the homeless?

Softcat, an award-winning IT solutions and services provider, assembled a host of channel executives to take part in 2019’s World’s Big Sleep Out.

1 in 200

One in every 200 people in Britain are homeless and sleeping on the streets, or stuck in temporary accommodation. In 2017 alone, over 4,000 people were sleeping rough – that’s a 50% increase from 2010. In fact, homeless people are 17 times more likely to have been victims of violence and over nine times more likely to take their own life than the general population.

World’s Big Sleep Out

The World’s Big Sleep Out was established by Josh Littlejohn to bring the Sleep in the Park concept worldwide. In 2019, the World’s Big Sleep Out took place in a number of cities worldwide, including Los Angeles, New York, Brisbane and Edinburgh. In fact, more than 60,000 people, including well-known celebrities, took part across 50 countries globally. In London’s Trafalgar Square, those camping out faced temperatures of about 10C and heavy rain – conditions rough sleepers face every day.

Softcat

The CEO of Softcat, Graeme Watt, was joined by 11 channel execs, as well as friends from other industries to raise money to help end homelessness worldwide. The team, which included Softcat directors Al Wynn, Richard Lecoutre and James Baker, raised over £100,000 by taking part in the London event. Softcat said, “the event has captured the imagination of people who want to help address homelessness but are not sure how to go about doing so.”

This story shows how Softcat supports Goal 1: No Poverty, specifically Target 1.3: “implement nationally appropriate social protection systems and measures for all, including floors, and by 2030 achieve substantial coverage of the poor and the vulnerable.”

About Softcat

Founded in 1993, Softcat is an award-winning IT solutions and services provider founded by Peter Kelly. Based in Marlow, they have over 1,300 employees.

Learn more about Softcat.