The volunteer thought he knew about sleeping rough until he tried it for himself
Tim Renshaw, who runs the Archer Project for rough sleepers, slept rough for two weeks as a fundraiser. He is pictured trying to sleep outside a churchThe original plan was for a friend who had previously lived on the streets to do two weeks rough as a fundraiser for the project. But when he had to pull out, Tim decided to take up their reins and do it himself – and get a better understanding of what those he works with go through.
“At some point, most rough sleepers experience violence and aggression. I didn’t but I realised what it was like to live expecting something. After six nights I was so tired I remember thinking, ‘Sod it, if it happens, it happens.’ I was close to the roadside but hidden as much as possible.” “And, for me, it did end. I went home, 14 nights completed, but not without homelessness getting into my head. My homelessness may have been fake but the feelings of loss I experienced in those 14 days were very real."