Emmaus Brighton & Hove Charity calls for an “Uprising of Kindness”

Brighton’s busiest square is to be transformed into a home in an attempt to get local people thinking about the plight of homeless people in the UK.

On 1 February, local homeless charity, Emmaus Brighton & Hove, will set up a living room and bedroom in Jubilee Square to mark 60 years since the Emmaus founder, Abbe Pierre, took to the airwaves of Radio Luxembourg and appealed to the people of France to do something to help those sleeping rough on the streets of Paris.

This event from 1954, became known as the “uprising of kindness” and led to the formation of the international Emmaus movement. His powerful request on behalf of “the voicless people” brought more than 500million francs, as well as blankets, stoves, and other items collected all over the country.

Emmaus Brighton and Hove wil be one of hundreds of Emmaus communities across the globe calling for a similar ‘uprising kindness’. The community will be using their event to ask people across the city to comit to an at of kindness, helping those in greater need than themselves.

The event will also be used to draw attention to the imminent release of rough sleeping figures for 2013, which are expected to show another rise in homelessness. The council’s official count over the past three years revealed 14 rough sleepers in Brighton & Hove 2010, 36 in 2011 and 43 in 2012.

Business manager Joel Lewis said that Emmaus staff will be in Jubilee Square from 10am – 4pm with presentations and information for Emmaus around the world and other local charities.

For more information about the event, visit their Facebook page
https://www.facebook.com/UprisingofkindnessBrighton

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Words: Savina Radeva