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UK News

Christians encouraged to sleep on their sofas to raise awareness of the 'hidden homeless'

by Tola Mbakwe

There are 60,000 people who sofa surf that are not part of the official statistics on the problem.

The Diocese of London has named this group as London's "hidden homeless" and has asked people to raise money and awareness of the issue by spending the night on their couch.

Carol Ward, fundraising support manager for the Diocese of London told Premier's News Hour the people that you least expect could become sofa surfers.

"One gentleman... he had a business, the business collapsed and he went into the generosity of friends and family.

"In the end he ended up sleeping rough. For him it was life changing and there was nothing before that all, it just happened."

People have been asked to tweet a photo of them sleeping on their couch using the hashtag #sofasurfingtogether.

Ward said she hopes Christians understand the Biblical principle in caring for the homeless.

"It's underlined in Matthew 25:40 where it says 'Truly I tell you whatever you do for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine you did for me.'

"It is the love of Christ that calls us to respond. Rather than walk past somebody who's experiencing homelessness, stop, spend a few moments of your time with them because it can make so much difference," she said.

The Diocese of London has provided resources and fundraising tips for its homelessness appeal on its website.

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