November 5th, 2022: The charity Centre Point thanked Harry Styles today on its Twitter account for donating to them the fee that was paid for the use of his song Treat People with Kindness. Indeed, a new Christmas ad by the Marks and Spencer Group features Harry Styles’ song Treat People with Kindness, which means this company had to pay a fee to Harry for the use of the song. Marks and Spencer Group is a major British multinational retailer that sells clothing, beauty, home products, and food products. The thank you tweet by Centre Point says “Thank you @Harry_Styles for donating the fee for the use of your song to Centrepoint for @marksandspencer’s Christmas ad! Your support will help young people facing homelessness find a place to be treated with kindness this Winter.“

Centre Point is a UK based charity that works to provide shelter and assistance to homeless youth. Prince William has been the patron of this charity since 2005 and before him, his mother Princess Diana, was the patron.

Centre Point was founded in 1969 by the Anglo-Catholic socialist priest Kenneth Leech and it opened its first shelter with 100 beds in a church. The name of the charity comes from the luxury building Centre Point which remained empty for a long time to make money for the property developer. This was considered outrageous especially given the large number of homeless people in London. Thus the decision, in response to this, to name the charity Centre Point.

Below Zinnia’s story. Zinnia is one of the young people who have been supported by Centre Point.

Following the opening of its first shelter, Centre Point expanded its reach throughout the UK and it now provides approximately 1,200 beds. In addition to providing shelter, this charity also provides mental health support, helps youth get back into education, and trains them with professional and life skills that enhance their employability. Centre Point has also programs in place to help homeless youth get back on track. For example, it runs a mentoring program comprising more than 100 volunteers. This program pairs a volunteer with a young person for 12 months.

The goal of Centre Point is basically to end youth homelessness by 2037. Here is what the charity states on its website: “Why 2037? Because we aspire to end homelessness for the next generation. As the UK’s leading youth homelessness charity, we will deliver exemplar services for young people, and use the insight from these to campaign, influence, and orchestrate systemic change.”

One of the most meaningful ways that Centre Point uses to raise awareness of youth homelessness and to help with fundraising is to encourage Sleep Outs. These are nights that can be organized in schools, among friends, or colleagues, in which individuals or groups sleep in a sleeping bag, in a tent, or on the floor to experience what homeless youth experiences everyday. Through these sleep outs people can make a difference in the lives of young people that experience homelessness.

Centre Point donation page.