Hi everyone,
This post has been a long time coming and since we are coming up on the one year anniversary of my Sleep Out I thought it's now it never that I post it. Covenant House is doing another Sleep Out, but I won't be participating this time around.
On Friday, March 22, 2013 I was homeless in support of an amazing charity called Covenant House (CH)! Many of you supported me and I thank you again because together we raised $2,275! My goal was $1,500 and you guys blew me away with your generosity! I also wanted to thank those of you who read my page because now you are aware of the charity which is also great. Here's a link to my donation page if you want to know more about my motivation for participating.
When I signed up I researched the organization whose purpose seemed pretty simple: their goal is to keep kids off the streets. So I thought my raising money would go toward providing basic necessities like food and shelter. However I learned that was the tip of the iceberg because besides providing the necessities, they offer support, time, love, and dedication to help the kids succeed.
I arrived a little after 7:30, I took the bus in from NJ and made a pit stop at my mom's place for a good meal before heading over. They had plenty of sandwiches and food there, but nothing beats mom's home cooked meals so it was worth the extra trek. When I arrived I was greeted by my two other friends who were participating along with the CEO of our company. He was the one who got us involved as he works closely with CH and participated in the Executive Edition Sleep Out last Nov.
At around 8:30 we sat down and listed to the chairman and other staff talk about the charity, then we watched a short video staring some kids who lived at CH and learned about their struggles and successes. This video was so heartfelt and surprising that it moved most of us to tears. There were two kids stories that had a major impact on me. One was a pregnant girl that was thrown out of her parents home and after couch surfing at friend's and neighbor's homes wound up on the street. She was over 9 months pregnant and due any minute so she slept on the sidewalk outside of the hospital so she could get help when it was time. Another was a boy that used to sleep in abandoned buildings. In the video he showed us one of the buildings he slept it. He walked us through where he broke in through the basement and crawled into a crawl space where he struggled to stay warm on cold nights. I couldn't believe that this was happening in the United States. At the end of the video they highlighted each kid with a description of what they were doing now. The young girl had her baby and they both still lived at CH, as for the young boy he chose not to stay at CH, meaning he went back to the streets. Then we were told that he died shortly after this video was filmed. That was so shocking and heartbreaking to all of us, why wouldn't he have just stayed at CH, what happened? There were so many unanswered questions.
The chairman went on to explain that for every happy ending there are more sad endings. Unfortunately they attend many funerals every month. I couldn't understand why the kids wouldn't go to CH and seek refuge. However I started gaining perspective after participating in the group session where we heard from kids who lived at CH. I was in a group of about 12 people, the 3 kids shared their stories with us and explained what life was like there from day 1. I learned that CH is more of a stepping stone than a permanent shelter. If there is a bed available, they will give it on a first come, first serve basis to any youth under 21. They work with you to help you get back in school or find a job. This isn't as simple as it sounds. Many of these kids don't have IDs, a birth cert, social security card, etc so the staff at CH help them get these crucial documents. They also have staff that help train them to work in certain jobs that have an affiliation with the organization, like fast food and seasonal operations. Otherwise a kid could choose to go back to school where they could study a trade through CH's programs, then seek permanent work. All the while living at CH the kids need to do chores, obey the house rules, be drug free, and respect the house. This is the structure that I overlooked, but it is crucial for the kids since they need to learn responsibility in order to integrate into society. Once they have a stable job and can support themselves, CH helps them find affordable housing. It's amazing how much the staff and volunteers do.
The breakout session ended around 11:00 and it was time to go outside to sleep. This is the part none of us were looking forward to. I say this because it was an unusually cold March with temperatures well below freezing, plus there was wind chill! I asked the kids some advice on where to sleep and they said as close to a wall as possible. So I eyed a spot and went straight for it. I secured a spot near a wall for myself and 2 other friends. We were supplied with a sleeping bag and cardboard box each. The sleeping bag we knew what to do with it, but the cardboard box, hmm. It was too small to sleep inside of so we opted to use it as "support" under the sleeping bag. I put the word support in quotes because what support can a box do when set on top of concrete! Although it was cold I was warm. This is what I wore: a tank top, long sleeve shirt, wool sweater, fleece vest, knee high socks, gym pants, ski pants, an ankle length long down coat, and warm knee high boots. Plus I had a hat, the hood from my coat, and gloves. It was a lot to wear, however it was necessary as I think the temperature was in the 20's that evening. All that was peeking out of my sleeping bag was my mouth so I could breathe and I remember feel the chill in the wee hours of the night from the wind penetrating my sleeping bag. Now you must be thinking about my safety sleeping outside, however that didn't cross my mind once. There were police officers present and it was an organized event of 166 people so I didn't anticipate any danger. Besides, we didn't sleep in the street, but on the CH property which was a driveway and courtyard albeit still very much outside.
At around midnight we decided to tuck ourselves in and sleep. I remember closing my eyes and all I could think about was the video I just watched and I couldn't sleep. My heart was feeling sad for the kids that were sleeping outside like I was, but without a sleeping bag or multiple layers. I knew that I would go home in the morning and go back to my life, but what was it like knowing this was your day to day life? With these thoughts racing I slept on and off maybe 10-20 minutes at a time. Plus it was extremely uncomfortable, slept on my back at first and could feel every bone on my body laying on the concrete. My feet hurt because I was sleeping with boots on and the gravity on the boots was pulling my feet into the concrete. So I alternated from side to side and lying on my back until about 6 am. That was when we got up and went inside to return our gear and head home. I spoke with the girls about their sleep and they slept the same way too, meaning that they didn't sleep either.
It was an emotional experience and way different than any other charity event I've ever done. I would encourage everyone who is able to try it. I'd do it again and Adit even wants to try it. So if you are interested check out their website and sign up early! For my Canadian friends, they do the sleep out in Toronto too, so get involved and support Covenant House!
Happy reading!
Rachel
