DETROIT (WWJ) -- It was a cold and restless night for a group of executives and other volunteers who slept outside to draw attention to the problem of youth homeless in Detroit.
WWJ Newsradio 950's Mike Campbell reports 148 participants slept out at Covenant House, at I-96 and Martin Luther King Blvd. in Detroit, raising money for Covenant House Michigan.
The goal is to end youth homelessness, especially in Detroit, where the Covenant House organization focuses on 18 to 24-year olds.
One of those taking part in the annual Sleep Out was attorney Tiffany Ellis, a partner with the law firm Pifer Wolf, who experienced a tiny bit of what many homeless youth experience every day.
"I was living in a cardboard box," Ellis she said. "It's a moving box that we're, you know, (in a) pretty secure place here on the campus of Covenant House. We're right here by the side of I-96, so you can hear the cars all evening. You could hear the sound around you. You could really understand what it might feel like to have that discomfort for an evening."
Reid Behrendt flew in from Colorado for his eighth Sleep Out.
"I'm just passionate about trying to raise awareness and help do my part to give these kids a hand up," Behrendt said.
"Was it cold?" Campbell asked.
"It was cold, yes, and loud and uncomfortable. And you just, you just never really sleep. It's hard."
Behrendt’s sister, college professor Tracie Swiecki, said she first joined her brother in the Sleep Out three years ago.
"For me, it's the stories that the kids tell the night before we meet the kids who have been served by the program," Swiecki said. "They're amazing kids, and their stories are moving, and once you fall in love with them, you keep coming back."
Covenant House Development and Communications Director Carolyn Geck said Ellis and the other participants in the Sleep Out raised $416,000 toward the mission.
"Our goal is $450,000, and anyone can still make a contribution by going to Sleepout.org," Geck said. "You can choose an individual to support, or you can choose the organization to support generally."
Gesk said there's an estimated 39.000 homeless people in Michigan, of which 5,000 are homeless youth.
Geck believes, however, that second number is an underestimation as younger people tend to couch surf, sleep in cars, and not get counted.
Those who'd like to help with the cause can get more information or make a donation at this link.