The “One Night Without a Home” sleepout is a popular piece of many Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Weeks.
At this event, volunteers spend a night outside – typically for 12 hours, from 7 p.m. to 7 a.m. – to raise awareness about the problem of homelessness. You can choose to have your volunteers sleep outside in sleeping bags, carboard boxes, or tents. While most of the night will be spent sleeping, you should fill the first couple hours of the event with speakers, discussions, or activities to educate the participants about homelessness.
Although one night outside can in no way equate with real homelessness, this activity can raise awareness among both participants and the campus community. Make sure to hold your sleepout in a busy location where people passing by will see the event and learn about it.
A variation on this concept is the “Living in a Car” sleepout, where volunteers take turns spending 12-hour shifts living in a car in a public location to simulate how some homeless people are forced to live.