Sleep rough so others don't have to
Dudley
Challenge
Sleep Easy
You will receive two cardboard boxes to create your shelter for the night and although this isn’t a true reflection of how homeless people live, we hope to give an insight into how it feels to not have a safe place to call home.
Last year, YMCA supported 570 young people with a safe place to call home, across the Black Country – a total of 131,185 nights that those young people were not forced into street sleeping or sofa surfing.
100% of fundraising from Sleep Easy goes into our Moving Forward Fund, which provides young people who are ready to move-on from YMCA into their own place, with access to a £250 grant towards items to make their space a home. This has included washing machines, sofas, kitchen appliances, bicycles to commute – all of which may seem like small things, but can be the make or break of a young persons’ successful move to living on their own.
Time
Starts 19:00PM
Date
27 February 2026
Registration fee
from £10
Minimum sponsorship: £100
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young people across england and wales declared homeless everyday
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young people in the UK between the ages of 16 and 24 were reported as homeless or at risk of homelessness between April 2022 and March 2023
100% of all money raised through Sleep Easy goes towards our Moving Forward Fund, helping our vulnerable young people move forward positively in their lives.
Like Poppy, who needed an extra hand when moving on from YMCA, into their own independent housing.
Close
“Sleep Easy is an ironic name for the event… I barely slept at all but thoroughly enjoyed it!
Despite knowing I’m safe and looked after by the YMCA staff, when it’s dark and quiet at 4am, you really get a sense of how vulnerable you are with just a box and a blanket for protection. I’m glad to have taken part, YMCA do amazing work and I’m pleased to have played a small part in raising money for their work to continue.”
Richard, participant 2023
Together, as the YMCA federation in England and Wales, we focus our work around the following key areas of work.