The Archer Project is raising awareness and helping fundraise ahead of what will be
another harsh winter for those on the streets of Sheffield.

The event, held on October 12, allowed visitors to step inside a -3°C trailer and test
how long they could withstand the temperature.

Talya Stitcher, the Communications and Publicity Officer for the project, said: “We
know that standing in a van at -3°C for a few minutes is only a tiny insight into just
one aspect of what rough sleepers might experience.

“However, we wanted people to gain a little bit of an understanding as to what people
will be experiencing every winter until hopefully homelessness ends.”

This experiment marked the start of The Archer Project’s winter plan, which will also
include different businesses sleeping ‘rough’ for a night through the course of
October.

Aviva, Beaver Brooks and Homes By Honey are amongst the firms who have
already taken part.

“The interactive and impactful experience provides a snapshot into what it would be
like to be rough sleeping.

“To have a disturbed night’s sleep and then go to work and try to function, you soon
release how difficult that is even after just one night.”

In April, the authorities reported that the number of people registered as homeless
with the Sheffield Council reached an all-time high.

The latest figures state that more than 4,000 people or families were without a home
in Sheffield in 2022-23, with an increase of 500 applications from people or families
seeking to be officially registered as homeless compared to the previous year.

Despite this almost one billion pounds is due to leave the homeless sector, with
funding commitments made to relieve the homeless being set to expire by April
2025.

Tim Renshaw, the Archer Project CEO, said: “We need at least the level of funding
previously invested, but actually much more if we’re going to stop people living the
awful life of street homelessness.”

The Archer Project, along with 76 homelessness and housing organisations, have
signed an open letter addressed to the Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves.

It calls for the government to show more certainty about the Autumn Budget, to
launch a thorough review of all homelessness-related spending and to commit to
developing and delivering a ring-fenced homelessness funding system from 2026-27
onwards.

For more information, the full letter is linked below.
https://homelesslink-1b54.kxcdn.com/media/documents/Funding_open_letter_to_the_Chancellor.pdf