Centrepoint Reimagines Christmas Classic to Shed Light on Violence Against Homeless People

The UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, Centrepoint, has rewritten the lyrics to ‘Silent Night’ as a poignant reminder that street violence towards homeless people is a very real threat that thousands face this Christmas.

Almost eight in 10 homeless people have suffered some sort of violence, abuse, or anti-social behaviour and Centrepoint’s research reveals that more than 24,400 young people are facing homelessness this Christmas, putting their safety at risk. 

‘Violent Night’ has been performed by a choir, led by young people affected by homelessness, in a short film launching in the lead-up to Christmas. The film was created by Wonderhood Studios and directed by Grammy-nominated director Nicolas Jack Davies, who created the award-winning Haircuts4Homeless campaign for Camelot and #WhatsYourName for Starbucks.

The revised lyrics were workshopped with Aimee, 18, a young rapper with cerebral palsy who became homeless one winter after a family breakdown. The lyrics highlight how terrifying living on the street is for vulnerable people. With freezing conditions and lack of shelter to protect them, young homeless men and women also have to face the threat of violence. 

The rewritten carol aims to raise awareness and donations for young homeless people that Centrepoint supports by giving them safe environments to spend the night.

Violent Night

Violent night, endless night.

All alone, pray for light.

Yelled at, abused, beaten for fun.

Hit and kicked, nowhere to run.

Sleep in fear for your life,

Sleep in heavenly peace.

Supporting the 60” film is an OOH campaign with the rewritten carol lyrics beautifully designed to look like a traditional hymn sheet.

Guy Hobbs, ECD at Wonderhood Studios, said, “Finding out that almost eight in 10 homeless people have suffered some sort of violence, abuse, or anti-social behaviour was incredibly shocking. We wanted to raise awareness of this issue by flipping the lyrics of the world’s most famous Christmas carol. Bringing this to life with the brilliant team at Centrepoint has been a very humbling experience and we hope it drives lots of donations for those in need this winter.”

Director Nicolas Jack Davies said, “Using your craft to do something meaningful, especially at this time of the year, is always a privilege. It was even more so here, with such a brilliant creative idea and the opportunity to work with young people who’d experienced the reality of homelessness. We had a short amount of time and limited resources, but you couldn’t have asked for a harder-working, more talented crew." 

Ffion Nicholas, Centrepoint helpline manager, said, “Christmas is an incredibly difficult time of year for young people facing homelessness, particularly those who are forced to sleep rough. Not only is it cold, dark and wet - it's also extremely dangerous. The Centrepoint Helpline speaks to young people every week who have fled difficult situations at home only to face even more danger on the streets. Sadly, many of them have no choice but to continue putting their own safety at risk while waiting for a safe place to stay. This Christmas you can help a homeless young person by donating to Centrepoint and letting them know that somebody, somewhere is thinking of them."

Christmas should be a time of joy for all. Nobody, especially young people, should be going to sleep cold, scared and alone. Centrepoint provides beneficiaries with accommodation, valuable life skills, physical and mental health support, and also works to provide access to education or employment for young homeless people. 

Donate today and help Centrepoint bring young people to safety.