Penny Barlow

I’m sleeping out against homelessness.

This October 11, I won’t be heading home after school. Instead, I’ll be swapping my warm bed for a sleeping bag – all to raise awareness and funds for Focus Ireland, the national organisation tackling homelessness in Ireland.

Did you know that over 4,000 children in our country don’t have a permanent home? That’s a staggering number. Every child deserves to feel safe and secure, and a home is at the heart of that. But for too many children, this is missing.

Being a teenager comes with its own stresses – schoolwork, exams, friendships, part-time jobs, even just figuring out who you are. I can’t imagine adding homelessness on top of it all. How can you focus on exams when you’re worried about where you’ll sleep next?

That’s why I think it is important to take part in my School Sleep Out as part of Focus Ireland’s Shine A Light, proudly supported by Bord Gáis Energy. It's a chance to experience, in a small way, the challenges faced by young people experiencing homelessness.

Childhood should be about dreams and hanging out with your friends – not wondering where you lay your head at night. Please show your support by donating to my fundraising page: every contribution, big or small, gets us closer to creating a future where everyone has a safe place to call home.