Snow arrived early in metro Detroit this year, a sharp reminder of the conditions young people face when they do not have a stable place to stay. During the 2023–2024 school year, Michigan identified 35,495 homeless students. Each number represents a young person trying to stay focused in school while navigating nights in shelters, motels, cars, temporary rooms, or no reliable space at all.
On Thursday November 20, Covenant House Michigan will bring hundreds of Detroiters together for its annual Sleep Out event at 2959 Martin Luther King Jr. Blvd. Participants will give up their beds for cardboard, tarps, and cold pavement to bring visibility to youth homelessness and raise money for services young people rely on every day.
This is the 12th year of the Detroit Sleep Out, held during Youth Homelessness Awareness Month. Covenant House Michigan leaders describe the gathering as a direct way to stand with young people who often feel unseen, unheard, and unsupported.
“Every young person deserves a safe place to sleep,” said Meagan Dunn, CEO of Covenant House Michigan. “When you sleep out, you stand in solidarity with young people who have nowhere else to turn. Together we will send a strong message that Detroit refuses to let youth in our community face homelessness alone.”
The event begins at 6 p.m. on Thursday, November 20, continuing overnight into Friday morning.
Community members, business leaders, faith groups, educators, students, and families will gather for a candlelight vigil and speak with young people who have experienced homelessness. Discussion sessions will explore the realities that push youth into unstable housing—family conflict, poverty, aging out of foster care, school disruptions, and the lack of a safety net.
Participants will build temporary campsites across the Covenant House Michigan campus and sleep outside through the night. Organizers note that the experience does not replicate homelessness, which involves long-term instability and structural barriers, but it creates an opportunity to understand how quickly cold weather becomes a crisis for someone without shelter.
Retired automotive executive Sam Slaughter has participated in every Detroit Sleep Out since the event began. For him, the commitment is clear and ongoing.
“Being part of Sleep Out keeps me grounded in purpose,” Slaughter said. “It’s not just one night outside — it’s a reminder that every young person deserves stability, safety, and hope.”
Covenant House Michigan has operated in Detroit since 1997. More than 80,000 young people ages 18–24 have walked through its doors seeking stability, safety, or a fresh start. In the last year, the organization provided more than 29,500 nights of shelter and helped 160 youth transition into stable housing.
The work extends far beyond emergency beds. Covenant House Michigan provides education support, job-readiness training, street outreach, mental health services, and case management. Staff help young people finish high school or GED programs, prepare for employment, rebuild family relationships when possible, and secure long-term housing.
Funding from Sleep Out helps keep these programs available around the clock. Donations support shelter operations, meals, healthcare access, clothing, education assistance, job training, and individualized support for youth navigating complex challenges. Delta Air Lines is the presenting sponsor this year, helping ensure Covenant House Michigan has the resources to continue providing consistent care.
Those who participate in Sleep Out will experience the discomfort of a cold Detroit night; for thousands of young people across the state, that discomfort is constant. Organizers hope the night inspires deeper involvement, whether through volunteering, advocacy, donations, or ongoing conversations that keep youth homelessness visible rather than sidelined.
Covenant House Michigan staff emphasize that the goal is to be a call for Detroiters to move together and to recognize the young people who need support, to understand the systems that fail them, and to strengthen the network of care that keeps them safe.
Community members interested in participating or supporting the effort can visit covenanthousemi.org/events/sleep-out.
