PHILADELPHIA (KYW Newsradio) — Three weeks after a National Sleep Out brought hundreds of fans to Citizens Bank Park, the School District of Philadelphia held its own in Northeast Philly to raise money and support efforts to end youth homelessness.
“This is just an opportunity for district staff that support families to kind of really get a deeper understanding of the 10,000 children across our city that don’t have a warm, safe place to sleep every night,” said Dr. Brenda Elliott, associate superintendent for student life and innovation at the School District of Philadelphia. Elliott was one of many staff members who were at the Northeast Community Propel Academy on Friday night for the district’s first-ever sleep out.
Lu’Crecha Pompey used to work at the Pennsylvania Branch of Covenant House, but now leads the school district’s Education for Children and Youth Experiencing Homelessness program.
She is no stranger to sleepouts and hopes fellow school district staff members left with some valuable lessons about what some students in Philadelphia experience daily without stable housing.
“In this sleep out, I know we’re going to experience a lot, and one of the most things we are going to experience is the discomfort… that’s what I want people to take with them because this discomfort we’ve chosen to experience for this one night, our kids have to experience because they have no choice.”
So far this school year, Pompey said the program has provided resources for more than 4,400 students experiencing housing insecurity. Those resources include finding a place for them to sleep, but also extend to food, clothing, transportation and more, depending on their age.
District staff have raised more than $15,000 to support Covenant House, a national nonprofit that combats youth homelessness.