65 local residents joined mhs homes at their Chatham head office to spend the night in a cardboard box, all in aid of two local charities. The sleepers braved temperatures of 3°cand windy conditions to raise more than £6,400.The sponsored sleep out challenge, which has been running biennially for over a decade, has been designed to increase awareness of the harsh reality of being homeless and to raise valuable funds for local causes. £6,400 has been raised for Caring Hands in the Community, local homelessness charity, and the Kent Autistic Trust, the mhs homes chosen charity of 2014 so far, with more donations expected in the coming days. Sleepers included representatives from both charities, mhs homes staff and customers, and the Mayor of Medway, Councillor Josie Isles. The event was well supported by local and national suppliers, with the following companies donating goods for free: MacFarlane Packaging, Sunlight Development Trust, Edmundson Electrical, Travis Perkins, Medway Insulations and the Dockside Outlet Centre. Ashley Hook, Chief Executive of mhs homes, said:"This year's sleep out was a resounding success, with over 60 people taking part and a fantastic amount of money raised for our two local charities. This is the fifth sleep out I have been a part of; I am always touched by the kindness and generosity of all involved and this year was no exception."Pastor Matthew Guest from Caring Hands in the Community, said:"We are so grateful to mhs homes for running this event to raise awareness of homelessness and to support us in the work that we do. We see issues surrounding homelessness every day so are very grateful for the support received, which will help us to continue to support vulnerable people across Medway."Kay Brunning, Chief Executive of the Kent Autistic Trust, said:"We are delighted to be part of this event with mhs homes. Homelessness is an issue that we all need to be reminded about, especially at this time of year. We, like Caring Hands in the Community, support vulnerable people and we are thrilled that the sleep out was so successful."Anyone who wishes to donate money to the mhs sleep out fund can still do so in the following ways:Online: www.justgiving.co.uk/teams/mhshomesBy text: Text your amount in £s with each of the following codes to 70070. Kent Autistic Trust: KENT57, Caring Hands in the Community: HAND57.About mhs homes Since forming in 1990, mhs homes has become the largest independent provider of social housing in the Medway region, with more than 20,000 customers. In addition to social housing, mhs homes provides shared ownership and private properties for rent, as well leasehold properties. Provision of quality, affordable homes remains a key objective and plans are underway to build up to 400 new homes by 2015, in Medway and beyond.For media information, please contact: Stephanie Ham 01634 354322, communications@mhs.org.ukAbout the Kent Autistic TrustThe Kent Autistic Trust is a registered charity which primarily provides staffed support services and accommodation for adults an Autistic Spectrum Disorder, a range of related conditions that affects around 1 in every 100 people.The Kent Autistic Trust was founded by parents of children with the condition in 1985 and has been supporting people with Autistic Spectrum Disorder across Kent and Medway ever since.We also provide Family Support for people with ASC and their families. www.kentautistic.comAbout Caring Hands in the CommunityCaring Hands in the Community is an outreach of King's Church Medway as a Christian response to the problems facing the marginalised in society. Staff and volunteers help those with issues such as isolation, social exclusion, hunger, homelessness, substance addiction and prostitution. www.caringhandsuk.org.uk
