“During the month of November, which is Youth Homelessness Awareness Month, we give up our warm beds for one night, and stand in solidarity with our young people, and sleep outside.”
Senior Philanthropy and Engagement Manager for Covenant House Grand Rapids Stacy Datena estimates that around 325 young people are sleeping outdoors at any given time over a three-month period.
“The individuals that come to us between the ages of 18 and 24, many of them have aged out of foster care, have experienced trauma or domestic violence or trafficking.”
Covenant House has set a fundraising goal of $75,000 to provide 24/7 care for youth experiencing homelessness. As of Wednesday morning, it’s raised around $32,000.
“A good portion of the fundraising will actually happen during the event when we all crawl in boxes, so it’s sleeping bags and boxes in the back of our campus. It’s just like a small glimpse of what someone must experience, but in a very controlled environment.”
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The Sleep Out begins Thursday night at 6 p.m. and ends Friday morning.
