HARP Ghosts of the Hidden Homeless float takes to the Halloween Parade

HARP Ghosts of the Hidden Homeless float takes to the Halloween Parade

HARP, Southend’s leading homeless charity, is teaming up with Liberty Performing Arts to raise awareness of the hidden homeless as part of this year’s Southend Halloween Parade.

In a brilliant display, dancers from Liberty Performing Arts will perform as ‘ballerina ghosts’, symbolising the often-invisible nature of homelessness. They will be joined by HARP staff, volunteers, and members of the Southend Police Cadets, creating a haunting yet powerful part of the parade.

Clare Wilson, Head of Communications at HARP, explains: “When people think of homelessness, they often picture those living on the streets. But in reality, homelessness takes many forms, including sofa surfing or staying in temporary accommodations like B&Bs. The latest figures show that in Essex alone, at least 2,155 families are living in temporary housing, and here in Southend, over 35 people are sleeping rough each night. The scale of the problem is enormous, and that’s why we chose this theme for our float. We are really grateful to Liberty and the Police Cadets for supporting us with this.”

Emma Wright, Founder and Owner of Liberty Performing Arts, adds: “We’re thrilled to partner with HARP and bring attention to such an important issue. Our dancers are eager to be part of this exciting community event and have been perfecting their spooky moves for the parade!”

Costumes for the event have largely been made by amazing volunteers from HARP’s “recycle and reuse group” who have been hard at work adapting old white sheets.

HARP is also delighted to be one of the Mayor’s charity beneficiaries this year so will also be part of the Mayor’s float, raising even more awareness of the issue.