Man vs Dog and Dressing as Batman - how we're supporting Centrepoint

In 2019, PerchPeek started to support Centrepoint in their mission to combat youth homelessness. Ever since, we have been consistently blown away by the difference they make in fighting against such an unnerving failure of our society. However, Coronavirus has led to an estimated £2m funding gap for Centrepoint, just as young people need their services more than ever (more on this below). PerchPeek predominantly supports Centrepoint by sponsoring a week in a homeless shelter every time we help someone to move. Needless to say, not many people are moving at the moment and so, Ace Vinayak, PerchPeek’s CTO, challenged the team to come up with creative ways to raise funds for their emergency appeal. This post outlines why we chose to support Centrepoint initially, why their services are more important than ever and the challenges we’ve undertaken to support them in this time of need.

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Given PerchPeek’s mission to help people decide where to live, we were clear that we wanted to support a homelessness charity to be able to serve the broadest spectrum of people possible. One of the things that specifically attracted us to Centrepoint initially was their holistic approach to supporting vulnerable young people that not only provides them with housing, but also health services and education / training to try and improve their future prospects. Coronavirus has significantly increased the need for all of these services, particularly in two core areas:

Housing

Centrepoint provides over 1000 beds to support homeless youths and sadly, many of the reasons young people require this shelter are greatly exacerbated by the Coronavirus pandemic. In particular, increased domestic violence, an uplift in family breakdowns and the inability to sofa surf are all closely linked to the current lockdown. As such, Centrepoint is seeing more young people referred to them than ever.

Additional support

A sobering fact is that 60% of young people in Centrepoint’s services have a diagnosed mental health condition. Whilst Coronavirus creates uncertainty for everyone, this group of young people are particularly vulnerable to the anxiety and loneliness caused by self-isolation. Many don’t have family or friends who can support them and Centrepoint’s psychotherapy and mental health support for the young are needed more than ever.

Combined with this increased strain on their existing resources, Centrepoint are faced with a double whammy of escalating costs and reduced funding. On the cost front, they’re faced with sourcing PPE and additional locum staff to be able to keep providing their services (and to cover self-isolating staff). On the fundraising side, the cancellation of major events has led to a predicted fundraising gap of £2m this year alone. Major events such as the London Marathon are cornerstones of their fundraising efforts and extremely difficult to replace in the current situation.

To try and do our bit, we’ve launched three campaigns to support them during this time with all funds raised going to Centrepoint. Check out each of the campaigns below:

Team Ollie & Jamie: The 4677 Challenge

On any given night, 4677 people sleep rough in the UK on average. So, over a 48 hour period, Ollie & Jamie took on:

Ollie: 2000 press ups, 2000 sit ups

Jamie: 667 squats, 10k run (dressed as Batman)

Fair play to them both - I wouldn't have fancied either of those! Get the full scoop on the 4677 challenge (and donate!) via their fundraising page.

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Left: Jamie dressed as batman. Right: Ollie's impressive schedule completed

Team Tommy & Paul: Man vs Dog vs Food - No Hands Allowed

Our CEO, Paul, has a resident dog (Nuka) that constantly tries to eat his food. To aid Nuka’s quest, for every day they receive donations, Paul is racing Nuka to eat his leftovers. No hands allowed, may the best eater win! You can see up-to-date videos and the score on their fundraising page - here's a teaser below to warm you up...

Race 1: Paul takes on Nuka to eat a bowl of cold baked beans

Team Harry & Beinat: Climbing Everest - Indoors

For every pound raised, Harry and Beinat will walk 10 metres in height.... using the stairs in their homes....self-isolation rules apply...The walking goal is the height of Mount Everest (8,848m or for Harry 6,320 times up & down his stairs!)...

Check out their progress, achey legs and impending vertigo on their fundraising page

Or see a sneaky preview of the boys below...

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Harry climbing stairs. Again. And again. And again...

Beinat looking decidedly fresher on his way up the stairs

Safe to say the team have put the metaphorical team on their back for these campaigns. Interested in finding out more about our social mission and how we're combating youth homelessness? See all our social updates here

Team Perchpeek