DETROIT – As temperatures drop across Metro Detroit Thursday night, hundreds of volunteers are preparing to sleep outside to raise awareness for youth homelessness.
Covenant House Michigan is hosting its 12th annual Sleep Out, an event designed to shine a light on the struggles young people face when they have nowhere safe to go.
“This is my fourth night sleeping out,” Covenant House Michigan CEO Meagan Dunn said. “What this is, it’s a night of solidarity. We’re not pretending to camp out. We’re not pretending to be homeless.”
Dunn emphasized that the goal of the Sleep Out is to open people’s eyes to the reality of homelessness experienced by Detroit-area youth.
“My goal for tonight is for tomorrow, actually, for all of us to wake up as advocates for young people, those that are not seen,” she said. “It’s about awareness. It’s an emotional night, very touching. But in the end, my hope is that we all wake up tomorrow truly understanding what it might feel like to sleep on the streets.”
‘We Get Through the Night With Sheer Will’
Participants will spend the evening engaging with Covenant House residents before heading to their own makeshift sleeping arrangements.
“Before we actually get into our boxes to sleep for the night, we spend time with young people where they tell us their stories, their experiences, what brought them and led them to Covenant House,” Dunn said. “Those are the stories that get us through the nights.”
She said sleepers will have basic items — a box, a sleeping bag, warm layers — but the experience is meant to be uncomfortable.
“Sure, we have a box… but what’s most important for us is that we keep their stories in our hearts and that’s what gets us through the night,” Dunn said.
Transforming Lives Every Day
Dunn said Covenant House Michigan shelters about 100 young people each night between its Detroit and Grand Rapids locations. Many arrive carrying deep trauma.
“When they come to Covenant House, many have either slept in abandoned homes and cars, some of them age out of foster care,” she said. “For most of them they don’t have the privilege of feeling safe, to feel love and support.”
Dunn said watching their progress is what inspires her team.
“When they come through our doors, they’re broken, honestly,” she said. “So when we get to see them go to work, when they move out and they have that big bright smile because they’re now able to live independently, that’s what fuels us to keep doing this work.”
How to Help
Sleep Out raises both awareness and funding — and there’s still time for the community to support the mission.
“Sleep Out is an awareness event, but it’s actually one of our largest fundraisers,” Dunn said. “There’s still time to donate to help support our mission. They can do so on our website at covenanthousemi.org.”
Donations will continue to be accepted for several weeks. The website also offers opportunities to volunteer or learn more about the organization’s work.
“The biggest thing that they can do for us tonight is keep their fingers crossed that it doesn’t rain,” she added. “But yes, please do go to our website. We’re still accepting donations. We’ll be fundraising for this event for the next few weeks.”
For information on how to get involved, volunteer or donate, visit the official Covenant House website here.