Covenant House Vancouver holding 12th annual Sleep Out on Thursday
Posted November 15, 2023 11:00 pm.
Last Updated November 15, 2023 11:03 pm.
Covenant House Vancouver is having its 12th annual Sleep Out on Thursday to spread awareness and raise money for youth who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness.
CEO Deb Lester tells CityNews that 45 sleepers — including her — will brave the cold and spend the night on the streets of Vancouver.
“The money that sleep out will raise will go towards one of our programs called our Crisis Program,” she said. “It is a program where youth can access all of the different services we have … they have a room that they can stay in indefinitely, they can access our mental health supports … and a lot of wraparound care on their journey toward health and wellness.”
Lester stresses that Covenant House Vancouver isn’t aiming to simulate or mimic experiencing homelessness.
“We don’t want to pretend to say that we know the full experience of what it’s like every night, but we do want to use this sleep out to raise this awareness,” she said.
Lester explains that a lot of sleepers have described their night outside as a very emotional experience that gives them a deeper understanding of what people go through.
“When they wake up in the morning and they’re so incredibly sore, they’ve been sleeping on the pavement overnight and obviously very cold and receiving no sleep at all for most of the night and it brought a lot of reflection around our youth,” she said.
The organization’s Crisis Program has 60 beds to offer youth who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness, and Lester says there’s always room for more, as she believes there are between 500 and 1,000 youth who are without a place to stay in Vancouver every night.
“We all know it’s getting very cold out right now … so we have a lot of work to do,” she said.
Covenant House Vancouver’s website says 20 per cent of Canada’s homeless population consists of young people between the ages of 13 and 24.
The organization has set a $1 million goal for this fundraiser.
With files from Sonia Aslam and Raynaldo Suarez
