Dashing to the top of this 42-storey City tower could help nearly 2,000 families registered homeless in Tower Hamlets who are in temporary accommodation.
Shelter, the national charity based in Old Street, wants volunteers to make a dash up the 430ft high office block behind Bishopsgate to help raise £300,000 to tackle London’s homeless crisis.
The dash-for-cash is backed by TV presenter George Clark from Channel 4’s Amazing Spaces and Ugly House to Lovely House shows.
“It’s upsetting to hear that so many children are living in temporary accommodation,” he said. “People’s lives are being turned upside down, unable to keep up with high housing costs. The number of families forced to live in Tower Hamlets hostels and emergency B&B is a third higher than five years ago.”
He has already made it up “the staggering 932 steps” in just nine-and-half minutes in a previous dash at the iconic Tower 42 skyscraper in Broad Street.
This year’s dash-for-cash is on March 15 with 1,000 volunteers expected to sign up.
A family is made homeless in London every 39 minutes, says Shelter. The charity runs a housing advice line for the homeless and anyone with housing problems, 8am-8pm weekdays and 9am-5pm weekends, all year round, on 0800-800 4444.
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