It’s that time of year again! Our flagship event, Simon’s Big Sleep Out, is back. This is the most famous event in our fundraising calendar, and we need your help making it bigger and better than ever before. Our target is ambitious, but we know that you, our community, will help us get there.
As always, Simon’s Big Sleep Out will take place the same week as World Homeless Day to bring as much attention to the challenges of homelessness as possible.
With live music, a raffle, an interactive quiz, guest speakers and complimentary food and drink, it’s an evening full of community spirit and camaraderie. Whether you take part as an individual or as a team, you’ll be making a huge difference to people experiencing homelessness in Leeds.
📍Leeds Civic Hall
📅 Thursday 8th October
🎟️ Sign up now
Why do we need Simon’s Big Sleep Out?
Fundraise for vital life-saving services
Homelessness isn’t a ‘them’ problem; it’s an ‘us’ problem. None of us is exempt from homelessness. It can happen to any of us at any time. All it takes is a series of unfortunate events for everything you know to fall away – a lost job, a broken-down relationship, a life-changing injury – it’s closer than any of us would like to think.
And if it ever did happen to you, you’d want to know someone was there to help you.
Unfortunately, many local charities and services have either closed down or are running on minimal staff and resources, despite the number of people experiencing homelessness reaching record highs.
This is causing major delays in people getting the support they need. Where ten years ago, we could get someone into an emergency hostel within one or two days, the waiting times are now more like weeks, sometimes even months. Access to drug, alcohol and mental health support is also delayed, with many services being forced to shut their doors completely. There’s simply not enough supply of services to meet demand.
Charities like Simon on the Streets are having to step in to make sure people are helped. We don’t receive any help from the government, which means we can only do what we do with continual fundraising and donations.
When you fundraise and take part in Simon’s Big Sleep Out, you ensure we can keep our outreach team in the community, working directly with the people who need it. You allow us to keep our office open as a base for our team. You make it possible for us to help the people we support pay for essentials like travel when they’re attending essential appointments. In short, you keep our charity alive.
You can read more about how things have changed in the last decade in this fascinating Q&A with Simon on the Streets operations manager, Tracey Ellerton.
Raise awareness of the reality of homelessness
Simon’s Big Sleep Out isn’t just about fundraising. It’s about sharing what homelessness really looks like in 2026, and the stories of hope from the people who have lived those experiences.
From entrenched rough sleeping to sofa surfing or sleeping in a car, no two people’s experience of homelessness is ever the same.
Our guest speakers are made up of our own team, but also of people who have been supported by Simon on the Streets while experiencing homelessness. It’s important to us that these people have a voice and can share their experiences in their own words.
You can help us spread the word even further by sharing your fundraising pages with friends, family and colleagues. Talk to them about Simon’s Big Sleep Out and why you’re taking part. You never know, they might even sign up to join you.
Celebrate what a community can achieve together
The truth is that the reality of homelessness in the UK is still challenging, but we need to celebrate what we’ve achieved together as well as focus on how far we have to go. Simon’s Big Sleep Out is a celebration of our community and its power to create change. It’s what makes this event such a popular choice for local businesses and their teams as well as individuals. There’s something very special about coming together to support a shared cause.
Only in great numbers can we put pressure on the powers that be to take homelessness as seriously as we do.
Whether you’re a seasoned supporter or this is your first time taking part in Simon’s Big Sleep Out, know that you’re part of an incredible community making a commitment to changing lives in Leeds.
Are you ready to take on the challenge? Grab your sleeping bag and a group of friends or colleagues and join us under the stars at Leeds Civic Hall for Simon’s Big Sleep Out 2026.
🎟️ Sign up now