The sleepout took place on Saturday night at Hope House in West Lothian, the residential recovery programme run by charity Steps To Hope.
Richie Roncero is preparing to spend 26 weeks sleeping rough across 26 UK cities – including Glasgow, Edinburgh, Cardiff, Aberdeen, Belfast, Derry, London, Liverpool, and Dundee – from October 17 in a bid to fund a new five-bedroom recovery facility and cover its operating costs for a year.
The campaign reached a major milestone this week when, with months until the challenge begins, it passed £150,000 after an impassioned plea from Mr Roncero.
The Edinburgh man, who spent hundreds of thousands of pounds on cocaine before entering recovery, said the expansion is urgently needed because demand for the charity’s 10-bed programme now far outweighs capacity.
Supporters, residents and former beneficiaries took part in the sleepout to encourage others to donate towards the campaign.
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He said: “To have more than 30 people sleeping outside in support of this means everything.
“People came together because they believe in what we are trying to build, and they know how vital it is.
“There are people sleeping outside every night who do not have an end date and do not have a safe place to go.
“We have now passed £150,000, which is an incredible amount of money, but the target is £1m because we need to build more space and fund the service properly for the first year.
“We are carrying out around 50 assessments a month, but we only have 10 beds. We cannot meet the demand.”
Steps To Hope opened Hope House, a 10-bed residential recovery programme in West Lothian, in August 2024.
The facility was funded following Richie’s previous eight-week rough sleeping challenge, which raised £240,000.
More than 40 supporters, residents and former beneficiaries braved the outdoors at Hope House in West Lothian on Saturday night in support of Steps To Hope founder Richie Roncero (Image: Story Shop)
The charity operates a 12-step-based abstinence programme and accepts both self-referrals and agency referrals from across the UK.
The proposed new five-bedroom facility would increase its residential capacity by 50%.
Mr Roncero said: “It breaks my heart that people are sitting on our waiting list when they are ready for recovery.
“The work we do is life or death for many people. We have seen people come through Hope House and rebuild their lives, but there are so many more people asking for help than we can currently support.
“We have had more than 60 graduations, but the impact goes far beyond those individuals. It reaches their families, their friends and their communities.”
The 42-year-old began using cocaine at the age of 15 and says it remained central to his life until he entered recovery.
He also used cannabis, ecstasy, Valium, and heroin.
The former cremation technician has three children – recovery allowed him to begin repairing relationships with his family and community.
He founded Steps To Hope in 2018, initially handing out hats and gloves to people sleeping rough with his daughter before the charity grew into a wider homelessness and recovery service.
More than 40 supporters, residents and former beneficiaries braved the outdoors at Hope House in West Lothian on Saturday night in support of Steps To Hope founder Richie Roncero (Image: Story Shop)
While Mr Roncero experienced periods of homelessness, sometimes sleeping on park benches during addiction, he said the upcoming challenge will be the hardest thing he has ever done.
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He said: “I have slept rough before, both in addiction and during fundraising challenges, but this will be the most difficult thing I have ever done.
“I will also be doing it clean and sober, with no substance to numb the cold, fear or isolation. I will arrive in each city with no money, one set of clothes, a sleeping bag, a toothbrush and my phone.
“My first job will be to find an empty cup and start begging. I will be sleeping on concrete, trying to find somewhere safe and sheltered, and documenting the reality of what people are facing across the UK.
“It is daunting. I will be away from my family, my friends, the charity and the comfort of home. Your mental health goes up and down, depression kicks in, anxiety kicks in, and you are lucky if you get 20 minutes of sleep at a time.
“There is nothing enjoyable about it, but if doing this helps us create more recovery beds, then I have to give it everything.”
The 26 cities have been chosen by supporters on social media and include locations across Scotland, England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Mr Roncero added: “We cannot do this alone. We need people across the UK to get behind us.
“People are desperate for help. We want to be able to offer that space to more people.”
The 26-city challenge begins on October 17. Supporters can follow the campaign through the Steps To Hope Facebook page.
To donate, visit JustGiving.
