Sleep-in raises money, awareness for homeless

Last Friday evening a group of mostly college-aged adults drew images of homes with crayons. Once they had completed their masterpieces, the group members were instructed to tear up their work.

The activity was part of the fifth annual Sleep-in for the Homeless, of which Pitt was a lead sponsor. The event included activities designed to raise awareness of the complex problems faced by the city’s homeless population. Community Human Services Corporation assists 1,500 homeless people in the Pittsburgh area.

Jon Hoffmann, a development specialist with Community Human Services Corporation and the event’s organizer, noticed one student in particular baring a hurt expression on his face when ordered to tear up his work.

“It was clearly a very emotional thing for him to spend a lot of time thinking about what home meant for him and then losing that,” Hoffmann said.

In addition to hands-on activities, the event included a number of speeches. Speakers at the event included University Vice Chancellor Renny Clark, city councilman Bill Peduto, United Way of Allegheny County President Bob Nelkin and county councilman Bob Macey.

Hoffmann said at least 160 people attended. Of these attendees, about 75 spent the night in a functioning homeless shelter. While Hoffmann did not know a total for the funds the event brought in, he said that more than $15,000 had been raised as of last night, of which he said Pitt donated $7,500. The final figure would probably reach more than $20,000, Hoffmann estimated. The money raised at the event, which is the organization’s largest of the year, would go to Community Human Service’s housing programs.

More than half of those in attendance were college students, of whom Hoffmann estimated between 25 and 30 were Pitt students.

Michael Caruso, a junior at Duquesne who majors in business and marketing, was one of about 10 students who came to the event with the school’s chapter of Alpha Delta, a service fraternity of which he is a member. Alpha Delta donated $50 to the event.

Caruso said that Duquesne’s location near the Hill District and the South Side has forced him to witness the suffering of those who are homeless or who struggle to afford housing.

“The quality of life just gets to you,” Caruso said.

He and the other members of Alpha Delta who attended planned to spend the night at the Severe Weather Emergency Shelter.

The event began at 6 p.m. at the Severe Weather Emergency Shelter, a functioning homeless shelter located Downtown. Attendees were offered dinner that Hoffmann said was donated by Eat‘n Park. Following the dinner, attendees went to nearby Market Square.

At about 8 p.m., Peduto addressed the audience in regard to the factors that contribute to homelessness, including mental health issues and substance abuse. He reminded the audience that, especially during severe weather, the city’s homeless often resort to sleeping under bridges or wherever else they can.

“Some of them don’t wake up,” Peduto said. “That’s the reality in this city every day.”

Peduto continued to serve as master of ceremonies while the other speakers took the stage, with Clark addressing the audience next. Clark called himself “fanatic about eradicating homelessness.”

He went on to tell attendees that he hoped they would view the homeless as human beings.

“Every time I walk by a homeless person, I think to myself, ‘That’s someone’s son, that’s someone’s brother, that’s someone’s — maybe, possibly — dad,’” Clark said.

Nelkin invited an 8-year-old girl to join him at the microphone. He praised her for the work she and her friend, also eight, have already accomplished in making quilts from old T-shirts and redistributing them to the homeless.

Following the speakers’ remarks, attendees split up into small groups for activities that event staff had planned. Some attempted to fit as many boxes of heterogeneous size into one of two vehicles parked in Market Square.

Attendees also took part in the home-drawing activity along with writing down their thoughts about home and losing their homes on a chalkboard.

“The idea is to give people an idea about the kinds of decisions and choices folks who find themselves homeless have to make every day,” said Breanna Jay, a case manager with Community Human Services Corporation.

She explained that homelessness results from many causes aside from simple laziness, as is commonly believed. Additionally, many of those who live on the street or rely on temporary shelters — like the Severe Weather Emergency Shelter — suffer from mental illness or drug and alcohol dependency.

Michelle Rojas, a Pitt freshman who intends to major in social work, volunteered at the event. Remembering her shock at seeing the large numbers of homeless in some areas, she hoped the event would raise awareness about the problem of homelessness.

“A lot of people don’t even know they’re there,” she said.