Sleepout is a fundraising challenge that allows participants to experience what youth experiencing homelessness may face. It raises awareness and funds to help Centrepoint end youth homelessness.
You create a personal fundraising page upon registration that you can customize and share with your friends, family and workplace. Download the Sleeper Toolkit for tips and sample messaging.
Why do we sleep out?
Despite being an uncomfortable experience for participants, Sleep Out is an important opportunity to raise awareness of the growing issue of homelessness and help fund services to those in need. This year the funds raised will benefit Neighbor to Neighbor’s Homeless Prevention Program, which provides rental assistance to help people stay in their homes.
The Sleep Out program at Saint Joseph Regional High School is hosted on a school night to make it a more genuine experience for students and allow them to confront the reality of youth homelessness, which 4.2 million adolescent minors and young people experienced yearly in 2018. The money raised goes toward things like new sheets and computers, meals, and best-in-class care for homeless youth at Covenant House.
You can also host your own sleepout with family, friends, places of worship, and businesses to help spread the word and raise funds for Covenant House. Contact your local event coordinator for more information.
How do we raise money?
Upon registration, participants are assigned their own personal fundraising page. Each page has a photo, story, friendly URL, and fundraising goal that can be shared with your network so they can donate directly to you. It’s important to meet your fundraising minimum but feel free to get creative – have you ever heard of someone shaving their head for a night?
During the sleepout, participants are grouped into teams. Typically, these teams are assembled based on the Broadway show that the individuals worked in for the event. For example, in the upcoming Sleep Out: Stage and Screen, the teams are Broadway Ushers United, Team Frozen, Strangelove, and The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel.
Whether you join a team or go it alone, you can raise funds to help end youth homelessness. Upon registration, you will be sent tips and resources to help you make the most of your fundraising.
What happens on the night of the event?
On the night of the event, you will join a community of sleepers at your chosen site for dinner and a program before nestling into your sleeping bag to spend the night on a sectioned-off lawn. During the night you will have the opportunity to talk through your experience, reflect and learn more about the issue of family homelessness.
The next morning, you will awaken to breakfast and be able to pack up your things to start your day. All funds raised through your Sleeper Toolkit will stay with YSS and will be used to support youth aging out of foster care and other programs that serve them.
In December of 2019, thousands of people slept out in backyards, hometowns and iconic locations around the world. Together, we raised millions of dollars and shone a spotlight on the global issue of family homelessness. We are so grateful for all of our Sleepers. Their passion and commitment to this cause has made an incredible impact.
How do we stay involved?
Sleep Out is a powerful experience that inspires entire communities to step up. By raising awareness and funds, you can make a real impact on youth facing homelessness.
You can sign up as an individual or as part of a team, and get started with peer-to-peer fundraising right away! We provide you with sample messaging and social media graphics to help you spread the word. You can also access a resource center with helpful tools for making your fundraising page a success.
This event is one of many activities in a week dedicated to hunger and homelessness awareness. During this time, community members of all ages come together to listen to a series of talks about the complexity of poverty and homelessness and engage in a candlelight vigil.