PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Hundreds of individuals gave up the warmth of their beds and slept in the streets of Center City to raise funds for homeless youth Thursday night.
The annual Sleep Out is hosted by Covenant House Pennsylvania. It began at 11 p.m., and participants were given a sleeping bag and cardboard box.
While participants were supplied with items, they were also allowed to bundle up in clothes and blankets of their choosing.
The goal for the Sleep Out was not to “pretend to be homeless,” but to understand the vulnerability and discomfort that young adults experiencing homelessness go through, said CHP Executive Director Jen Weikert.
“It doesn’t always look like adult homelessness. It may not look like seeing someone asleep outside on the street. It may be a young person couch surfing, or that’s living in their car, or in a violent situation,” Weikert explained.
Debbie McCabe from Villanova is participating for the 10th year in a row and feels self-awareness of these issues is important and makes it easier to fundraise for the event.
“We get uptight over one night, and this, for some of these kids, is a lot of nights,” McCabe said.
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Ann Thelusma, 21, understood what those nights are like. Originally from Haiti, Thelusma came to Philly to live with her dad.
They didn’t have anywhere to go, so she turned to the Covenant House for emergency shelter.
“I spent a couple of months there, got my first job, worked until I could move into their right-of- passage transition home,” Thelusma said.
Now, she lives with a roommate in West Philly and works in South Philly, but is participating in the Sleep Out to remind herself of what some people face.
“It’s going to be scary … try to embrace it, understand in your own way what’s going on and really embrace your feelings,” Thelusma said. “You’re going to be scared. You’re going to wonder, ‘Why am I doing this? What is this?’ But it really opens your eyes.”
Their goal this year is to raise $600,000 for much-needed shelter, transitional housing and supportive services to young adults experiencing homelessness.
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