A Night in Their Shoes: Hunger Homeless Sleepout

The ground is still muddy from the day’s rain as almost 30 Ithaca College students begin to lay sleeping bags out on the academic quad. The group gets a few strange looks from passerby, but this doesn’t deter them from setting up camp. Soon enough, the Ithaca College Catholic community’s first Hunger Homeless Sleepout is underway.

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Taking a Stand

The sleepout took place from the night of Friday, April 11th to the morning of Saturday, April 12th. It was organized by the Ithaca College Catholic Community in an effort to raise awareness about homelessness and poverty in Ithaca. Participants were asked to only bring what they could carry on their back to spend a night outside on the quad. Most arrived with only a sleeping bag in hand.

David Holmes is the campus minister of the Catholic community and was instrumental in organizing the sleepout. He said his past experiences in cities like Chicago made him want to raise awareness about homelessness and poverty.

“I know I ignored [homelessness] when I was living in Chicago, even though I saw homeless people every day,” Holmes said. “I just didn’t really think about it and it wasn’t a big part of my life. Now I want to help other people understand and address these issues.”

Below Holmes discusses more about the event and why he feels it’s so important:

Poverty and Homelessness in Ithaca

Both poverty and homelessness are prevalent in Ithaca and Tompkins County. Data from the 2012 census shows that 45.5% of Ithaca residents are living below the poverty line, compared to the New York State average of 14.9%.

To help address these problems, community organizations like Loaves and Fishes help provide free meals and other services to homeless individuals or those living in poverty. The sleepout aimed to bring attention to these organizations and encourage the community to participate more.

Engaging the Community

To help raise awareness, the group put together a lineup of speakers and coordinated activities for those attending to take part in.

One of the night’s events required students to imagine they were a homeless person standing on a street corner. Each student was given a piece of cardboard and marker to write down the message they’d want others to see. The messages ranged from “I Have a Story” to “Street Kid for Life!”

Another game focused on what it’s like to live on minimum wage. Each group was given $1,000 dollars to live on for a month and was then asked to make a series of financial decisions to see how they would handle it. This game not only brought attention to the struggles those living on minimum wage can face, it also generated discussion about whether minimum wage could be considered living wage.

Junior Celina Foran said the experience was not just about discussing these issues, but also finding solutions.

“It’s a way to raise awareness and stand in solidarity with homeless and homeless folks, especially in Ithaca,” Foran said. “We want to learn what it’s like in our community and hopefully learn how we can make a difference in the place that we live.”