Hi Yvonne,
This is just an email to say THANK YOU for creating a movement to end homelessness in Scotland. THANK YOU for sleeping out! and THANK YOU for raising so much money!
You can see a thank you video that we put together from the night here: https://vimeo.com/246949595
Below is what you have helped achieve:
8,000 people experienced what it is like to sleep out on a cold winters night, and the spotlight was shone on the plight of homelessness.
In terms of money raised:
- The amazing people sleeping out and their supporters raised an incredible £2.7m
- Clydesdale Bank committed an additional £0.5m
- We also received an anonymous donation of a further £0.5m
That brings the total raised so far to £3.7m!
Your friends, family and colleagues can still add to your total on your Virgin Money giving page.
In terms of housing:
- EdIndex which includes The City of Edinburgh Council and a number of housing associations including Dunedin Canmore, Castle Rock Edinvar and Port of Leith Housing Association have collectively offered an amazing 275 homes for homeless people in Edinburgh
- Wheatley Group has pledged an additional 200 homes for people in Glasgow and the central belt.
- If you include the Social Bite Village, that’s 495 homes across the central belt!
- We will now be working to find partnerships for similar commitments in other cities in Scotland
The money you have raised will help fund the support structure for the people moving into these tenancies. This will include addiction support, getting a bank account in their name, support with mental health, helping them into employment and more – removing them from the cycle of homelessness and finally including them IN our society.
Together we have taken a massive step toward ending homelessness in Scotland. With your support, we will continue to strive to take further steps across all of Scotland.
We will announce the final amount raised on Christmas Eve.
Once again from the bottom of our hearts, thank you.
Josh Littlejohn & Alice Thompson
Co-Founders
Social Bite