Share with:
Here at Comic Relief we’ve always strongly believed that everyone should have a safe and secure place to call home. This may seem obvious, but it’s a human right that is denied to millions of people across the globe.
For example, we don’t think people should have to sleep on the streets or be left without decent and reliable shelter, and yet 100 million children are estimated to be living on the streets worldwide and, in the UK alone, the number of people sleeping rough has increased by 134% in the last 8 years.
However, A Safe Place To Be isn’t just about tackling homelessness. We believe everyone should have the right to a safe place, whether this is the ‘hidden homelessness’ of people sofa-surfing, in hostels or in temporary housing, people living in inadequate or slum conditions, people that have been trafficked into forced labour or sexual exploitation or people that have been forced to flee their homes seeking safe and legal settlement.
This is such an important issue because, while being fundamental in its own right, having somewhere to call home - to live, to learn, to grow - actually provides more than just a roof. It provides a springboard for all other aspects of life, work, relationships, health and happiness; the building blocks we all need.
The reality is that millions of people around the world do not have access to safe, secure shelter or a place to call home. Currently over 68 million people are forcibly displaced from their homes either by war, disease or famine1, while one sixth of the world’s entire population (approximately 1.2 billion people) are living in slum conditions2 and there is an estimated 24.9 million people trafficked into forced labour and sexual exploitation3.
These are shocking statistics, and we want change. We are committed to supporting organisations that believe in human potential and that are helping people who are trying to rebuild their lives. As for people to truly thrive and live life to the fullest, we all need A Safe Place To Be. Join us as we discuss these issues and highlight some of the fantastic projects we fund in the UK and around the world that are working to make this a reality.
If you want to find out more about what we do under A Safe Place To Be head here.
