About The Campaign
The Homeless Period Southampton is a volunteer-led campaign designed to provide vulnerable women with access to necessary sanitary protection. No strings attached.
The Homeless Period was originally launched in Birmingham, and has since become a national movement to end #PeriodPoverty. Homeless Period branches have since been founded in Liverpool, Brighton, Plymonth, Lincoln, and Belfast among other cities. To read more about the campaign, and find your local branch (or start your own!), visit the Facebook page here.
Why?
Periods are not a great time of the month for anyone, but for many homeless and vulnerable women with limited access to the expensive 'luxury' of sanitary items, it is a truly awful and humiliating time -- and because of the taboo that still surrounds the issue, it's something that we often forget to think about.
Without access to feminine hygiene products, and often forced to choose between 'tampons or food', some women are turn to using ripped-up cloths, old socks, napkins, or toilet roll from public toilets -- or attempt to make a handful of tampons last the entire duration of their period. This can lead to infections and severe discomfort -- putting women's physical health at serious risk, as well as their emotional wellbeing.
#PeriodPoverty hit the news recently after it was found that teenage girls in Leeds were having to skip school while on their periods as their families could not afford to provide them with the necessary sanitary protection each month.
How does it work?
The Homeless Period works by securing donations of tampons, sanitary towels, hygiene wipes and new underwear before distributing these into vital care packages to send to local charities, homeless shelters, food banks and women's refuges.
The Homeless Period is proud to be supporting:
- Trinity Winchester
- YMCA Southampton
- Society of St. James
- NoLimits Help & Advice Centre
How can you help?
There are number of ways to help The Homeless Period Southampton campaign, from donating to our crowdfunding page, to hosting a collection box, to volunteering to create care packages and deliver donations to local charities. For more information, visit our 'Get Involved' page.
Who?
My name is Kirsty Bates, and I am from Southampton, UK. After graduating from university, I started work for YMCA Southampton, before joining the team at Girlguiding's London HQ as a Community & Events Officer. I now live in South West London, where I am Brook Charity's Lead Volunteer for Participation & Volunteering -- the leading sexual wellbeing charity for young people, and altogether have a strong interest in reproductive health, youth development, and women's empowerment.
You can follow me on Twitter: @cursedteacakes.
Find out more!
In April 2017, Amy Picknell, Features Editor at Wessex Scene (@WessexScene), the leading student magazine at the University of Southampton interviewed me in the wake of The Homeless Period Southampton's first week! Read Amy's feature here.
In May 2017, travel and lifestyle blogger Hannah Galpin (co-founder of NomaderHowFar.com), penned a fantastic piece of the true pain of periods for her blog all things women, eco and community! Hannah's piece is here.
Share!
Follow us on Twitter (@PeriodSoton), Like our Facebook page!
The Homeless Period was originally launched in Birmingham, and has since become a national movement to end #PeriodPoverty. Homeless Period branches have since been founded in Liverpool, Brighton, Plymonth, Lincoln, and Belfast among other cities. To read more about the campaign, and find your local branch (or start your own!), visit the Facebook page here.
Why?
Periods are not a great time of the month for anyone, but for many homeless and vulnerable women with limited access to the expensive 'luxury' of sanitary items, it is a truly awful and humiliating time -- and because of the taboo that still surrounds the issue, it's something that we often forget to think about.
Without access to feminine hygiene products, and often forced to choose between 'tampons or food', some women are turn to using ripped-up cloths, old socks, napkins, or toilet roll from public toilets -- or attempt to make a handful of tampons last the entire duration of their period. This can lead to infections and severe discomfort -- putting women's physical health at serious risk, as well as their emotional wellbeing.
#PeriodPoverty hit the news recently after it was found that teenage girls in Leeds were having to skip school while on their periods as their families could not afford to provide them with the necessary sanitary protection each month.
How does it work?
The Homeless Period works by securing donations of tampons, sanitary towels, hygiene wipes and new underwear before distributing these into vital care packages to send to local charities, homeless shelters, food banks and women's refuges.
The Homeless Period is proud to be supporting:
- Trinity Winchester
- YMCA Southampton
- Society of St. James
- NoLimits Help & Advice Centre
How can you help?
There are number of ways to help The Homeless Period Southampton campaign, from donating to our crowdfunding page, to hosting a collection box, to volunteering to create care packages and deliver donations to local charities. For more information, visit our 'Get Involved' page.
Who?
My name is Kirsty Bates, and I am from Southampton, UK. After graduating from university, I started work for YMCA Southampton, before joining the team at Girlguiding's London HQ as a Community & Events Officer. I now live in South West London, where I am Brook Charity's Lead Volunteer for Participation & Volunteering -- the leading sexual wellbeing charity for young people, and altogether have a strong interest in reproductive health, youth development, and women's empowerment.
You can follow me on Twitter: @cursedteacakes.
Find out more!
In April 2017, Amy Picknell, Features Editor at Wessex Scene (@WessexScene), the leading student magazine at the University of Southampton interviewed me in the wake of The Homeless Period Southampton's first week! Read Amy's feature here.
In May 2017, travel and lifestyle blogger Hannah Galpin (co-founder of NomaderHowFar.com), penned a fantastic piece of the true pain of periods for her blog all things women, eco and community! Hannah's piece is here.
Share!
Follow us on Twitter (@PeriodSoton), Like our Facebook page!
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