TECHNOLOGY and business professionals are being asked to ditch their suits and spend a night exposed to the elements to raise raise vital funds to tackle youth homelessness in Worcestershire. Government figures show that in the last six months of 2013, more than 1,720 young people in the Midlands were registered homeless, although this is only a fraction of the true number as many are not officially recognised by local authorities. It is estimated that 80,000 young people a year experience homelessness in the UK, leaving them vulnerable to violence, mental health problems and addiction.

Now charity Action for Children is inviting technology and business leaders across the Midlands to attend a Byte Night launch event on Thursday, April 10 from 18.00 at the offices of professional services giant Deloitte in Birmingham to find out more.

Andrew McManus, IT director at the NEC Group and co-chair of Byte Night Midlands, said: “Homelessness can happen to anyone’s child. Families are under a huge amount of pressure and this can affect relationships, with two thirds of children becoming homeless because of family breakdown. Some of the biggest companies in the Midlands take part in Byte Night, making it a great networking opportunity, as well as a unique way to support some of the most vulnerable young people in our society. "

Byte Night raises money for Action for Children services that work with young people who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless. This year the charity hopes to raise a total of £1.3 million at eight simultaneous sleep outs across the UK.

To find out more about sleeping out contact the Byte Night Team on bytenight@actionforchildren.org.uk or visit bytenight.org.uk