Sleep Out Saturday raises awareness, money for 'hidden homeless'

Two years ago, Nydia Rivera says she was trying to escape an abusive relationship.

She was living with six other people in a two-bedroom mobile home. She worried for months about how she would support her three daughters if she left her husband.

When she finally found the courage to walk out, she moved into a domestic violence shelter. But it was a temporary fix.

Six months later, Rivera and her daughters were forced to find a new place to stay.

That's when Bridge Communities started to change their lives.

"It was a complete blessing," she said. "They've allowed me to go back to school, build my self-esteem, renew my skills and help me get back up on my feet."

The Glen Ellyn nonprofit group offers free transitional housing to more than 100 homeless DuPage County families each year.

In addition, clients are provided with two years of mentoring and supportive services to help them live self-sufficiently when they leave Bridge. During that time, they are able to learn budgeting skills, save money and find better employment.

On Nov. 1, about 2,000 kids and adults are expected to take part in the organization's biggest fundraiser of the year, Sleep Out Saturday.

The event begins with a 7 p.m. rally in the Bridge Communities parking lot. There will be live music, entertainment from 101.9-FM and team-building games until 8 p.m.

Participants will then head out to more than 75 "sleep out" sites throughout the county, where they will spend the night outside in cardboard boxes, tents or cars.

Jennie Gates, manager of special events for Bridge Communities, said there are three purposes to the event: raising awareness for the "hidden homeless" of DuPage County; getting people to feel a new kind of empathy for the homeless; and fundraising for Bridge's programming.

"In our society, for most of us, we don't really give too much of our time and our thoughts to those who are in great need," she said. "We may see a homeless person on the street and say, 'That's pretty sad,' but your thoughts don't get much further than that."

After taking part in Sleep Out Saturday, however, "you'll never look at homeless people in quite the same way again," she said.

"We're creating an opportunity for people to really feel what it's like to be a homeless person, to be grappling with the cold weather and what that's like, and all the other pieces that go with this," she said.

"There's a lot of realizations," she said. "It's not just the fact of being homeless. Where do we get clean? Where do we get a meal? How do we get ready for our upcoming day?"

The activities for the night are different at each site, but generally, participants will have a simple meal and talk about the homeless, often using a movie like "The Pursuit of Happyness" to spur discussion.

Many youth church groups take part in the fundraiser, but Gates said the event could benefit anyone, of any age.

"Kids as young as 6 are having realizations that, 'Hey, not everybody has what I have,'" she said. "Most of all, the reaction is, 'Wow, this changed my life.'"

Often, she added, participants feel a sense of guilt the next day when they return to the comforts of their home.

"The realization that the homeless are going to be out there tonight, and the next night, is very, very humbling," she said.

There is no minimum for fundraising, but participants are encouraged to keep in mind that it costs about $35 a night for Bridge to house a family.

"It's very tangible, it's very easy for a participant to see, 'Wow this is the difference that I'm making,'" Gates said.

The presence of current and past participants of Bridge's programs at the rally will also add to participants' understanding of how they are helping others.

That includes Rivera, who now works as an office manager for a landscaping company and is close to achieving an accounting certificate from College of DuPage. She said she is coming to the event simply to express her gratitude to the participants.

"I just want everybody to know how thankful I am, as well as my children, but also how thankful some of the other families are," she said.

Sleep Out Saturday

When: 7 p.m. Saturday.

Where: A kickoff rally will take place in the Bridge Communities parking lot, 505 Crescent Blvd. in Glen Ellyn. More than 75 sleeping locations have been designated throughout DuPage County.

Why: To raise money to help homeless families served by Bridge Communities.

Cost: There is no minimum for fundraising, but participants are encouraged to set a goal of $100, which would provide a family with about four nights of housing.

Info: Visit <a href="https://www.bridgecommunities.org/Sleep-Out-Saturday/index.html">bridgecommunities.org</a> or call (630) 545-0610.