With snow covered streets and an overnight temperature of just above zero, for most metro Detroiters these conditions would be the perfect time to stay home in a warm and comfortable setting.
Yet for 42 metro Detroit stakeholders, including leaders in the civic, community, business, religious and educational sectors of the region, the cold and snowy night of Nov. 20 was the perfect time to unite and sleep on the streets.
This act of solidarity was part of The Sleep Out: Executive Edition, which was hosted by Covenant House Michigan (CHM), in partnership with the Detroit Auto Dealers Association and Delta Air Lines. The goal was to raise funds and elevate awareness to the growing issue of homelessness among youth in Detroit and across the United States.
The evening began around 5:30 p.m., when the 42 leaders arrived at Covenant House Michigan, located on Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd., just east of the Jeffries Freeway on the city’s west side, for a candlelight vigil to reflect on youth homelessness. They were joined in solidarity by dozens of Covenant House Michigan’s residents who have at one time experienced homelessness.
financial expert and author, Gail Perry Mason;Michigan Chronicle chief operating officer, Cathy Nedd
Following the candlelight vigil, the participants attended a reception, dinner, round table discussion on youth homelessness, as well as took a tour of Covenant House. At around 11 p.m., it was time for the leaders to bed down, on the ground, for a night’s sleep outside. Equipped with sleeping bags, the group volunteers crawled into cardboard boxes centrally located in the middle of Covenant House’s complex.
Some of the outside sleepers included such metro stakeholders as M. Roy Wilson, president of Wayne State University, along with his wife, Jacqueline; Cathy Nedd, chief operating officer of the Michigan Chronicle; Conrad Mallett, Detroit Medical Center’s chief administrative officer; and Gail Perry Mason, first vice-president, investments, at Oppenheimer & Co. and noted author.
“This (sleeping outside in the winter) will be a new experience for me,” said Wilson. “But I’m warmly dressed and ready to experience what so many homeless youth experience every night in Detroit and across the nation. I believe by doing this, much needed awareness will be focused on youth homelessness, something that my wife and I are very passionate about.”
Jacqueline Wilson, who also served as the event’s co-chair, added, “I established the HIGH Program at Wayne State, which is a program to help homeless and precariously housed students pursue their goals of earning a degree from Wayne State. Therefore, it was important for me to partner with Covenant House Michigan for this sleep out tonight.”
She established the HIGH Program so that students do not have to choose between basic necessities and earning a degree.
Some students at Wayne State are homeless, some are precariously housed, and some must choose between paying school bills and paying for other necessities.
According to Covenant House Michigan officials, The Sleep Out: Executive Edition is part of an event which takes place in 15 cities across North America. The mission is to bring awareness to the issue of youth homelessness and to raise funds to combat it. This is the first time that Detroit has participated.
Covenant House released statistics that indicate that more than 5000 youth under the age of 24 in metro Detroit are homeless. In 2013, Covenant House Michigan served 8,513 homeless and at-risk youth through its Street Outreach Program, community centers, 90-Day Crisis Center, two-year Transitional Living Program, and Educational and Job Readiness programs.
While Covenant House has become a safe haven for many young people, there are still thousands more who sleep under viaducts or in abandoned buildings every night, including during the harsh winters.
“This was truly a worthwhile cause,” said Nedd, following the night of sleeping outside. “It was very cold sleeping on the ground, but it gave me a much better perspective of what thousands of homeless youth experience every night, just to survive. It was a real eye opener for me and should be for every leader that slept outside on the ground on such a cold night. We have to raise awareness and raise money to help eradicate youth homelessness in metro Detroit and across the nation.”
Mason, author, financial coach, and founder of Money Matters for You, said, “I’m excited to be a part of the Covenant House movement, especially as it relates to stopping youth homelessness. I was in foster care growing up, so it’s important that I provide support.
“We need to make people aware that there are lot of youth on the streets. By sleeping out here tonight, we will make a difference because of the awareness that we are bringing to youth homelessness. I’ve never slept outside before, but I’m doing to help invest in our youth. The love that I have for helping these youth will keep me warm.”
Last year, 450 business leaders across North America spent one night on the street and collectively raised over $3 million to support Covenant House’s life-saving programs for homeless youth. This year, Covenant House Michigan has encouraged metro Detroit and beyond to take a stand against youth homelessness.
The sleep out was part of a similar nationwide event in 15 North American cities where Covenant House has a presence.
These students may be reluctant to seek help, may lack family and community support and may face low expectations. Sometimes a helping hand, a few dollars or consistent housing can mean the difference between earning a college degree and dropping out.
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