A group working in London and Brighton known as Under One Sky has launched its winter campaign to help provide support to those who are homeless and become an official charity.
Under One Sky was founded in 2012 by Mikkel Juel Iverson after he decided to go for a walk and do something for the people on the streets of London.
Fast forward to the Covid-19 pandemic, a week before lockdown and Mikkel and his team found the services supporting those on the street had disappeared.
They found people who hadn’t eaten in six days with no idea what was occurring around them and many were newly homeless.
At that moment they knew they would be supporting them until the end of lockdown.
One homeless man said: “When Covid began the services we have disappeared overnight. It was terrifying, y’know?
“Over time we pieced it together but it was scary. We couldn’t eat.”
When a journalist from The Guardian accompanied them on a “skywalk” and her article became the most read on their website for 24 hours.
Iverson said: “My phone suddenly just went ballistic, all the lights were flashing! And so within two days, we had about 600 new volunteers.
“We had probably gained £1000 in private funding on our crowd funder.”
The organisation has predicted by the end of 2022 it will have served over 100,000 people.
The organisation helps those in need in many ways from offering them a cup of tea, getting people off the street and reconnecting them to family.
It’s premise is that humanity is one family, with the organisation aiming to create a family community,a place where everyone can belong regardless of their background, race or beliefs.
They want those they interact with to feel heard and seen.
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