Sleep Out Saturday gives volunteers a taste of homelessness

Steve Gillhouse remembers laughing with friends while walking through an upscale San Francisco shopping area after a nice dinner out and hearing someone say “shhhh!”

Unbeknown to Gillhouse and his companions, while they dined indoors, boxes had appeared outside the shops and the city's homeless had set up their temporary homes for the evening.

That was 18 years ago, but the now-Naperville resident has never let go of that humbling feeling that homelessness exists everywhere even in areas considered wealthy.

“It just really struck us,” he said, “that in these areas of affluence, there's people who are struggling to get by every day.”

Gillhouse is leading more than 100 people in Good Shepherd Lutheran Church's Sleep Out Saturday event in Naperville on Saturday, Nov. 6.

They're among an expected 1,500 participants throughout DuPage County who will sleep outdoors in tents and boxes or on church floors to raise awareness and funding for homelessness.

The seventh annual event is the largest fundraiser for Bridge Communities, an organization that provides transitional housing to more than 100 families in DuPage County each year.

The average age of a homeless person in DuPage County is 8. It's a startling statistic that Bridge Communities organizers say is paramount in spreading the word about homelessness in areas where most people wouldn't think it exists.

Homelessness doesn't always look like rows of boxes or people sleeping on benches, said Gillhouse, who volunteers with DuPage PADS, an organization that works to end homelessness.

“You don't see it as much in this area, party because of winter and partly because it's not tolerated as much,” Gillhouse said. “In Naperville, there are a lot of homeless people. They are people who look like you and I.”

The Sleep Out Saturday event begins with an outdoor rally from 6:30 to 8 p.m. at Bridge Communities, 505 Crescent Blvd., in Glen Ellyn.

Afterward, sleepers will go to their locations and determine their own activities.

At Good Shepherd, participants will return to a soup line, so they can experience a typical dinner for some homeless people. Activities throughout the night will include a game where children have one book bag and they'll decide what of their life's possessions they'd chose to fill it with. Another includes watching the movie “The Blind Side.”

Sleepers at Good Shepherd can chose to sleep on the activity room floor, in boxes in the parking lot or in cars as a family.

Participating hopefully will raise awareness in the community, Gillhouse said.

“We'd also like to have empathy for those who are homeless and who are facing that every day,” he said. “And hopefully we'd like to donate a significant amount of money so that they can continue their work of helping people out of homelessness and into housing situations.”

Although many of the group sleep outs are taking place at churches, one corporate sponsor, Coldwell Banker, also has employees sleeping out for the night.

A profession that has seen the effects of the economic downturn first hand, real estate agents say it's heartbreaking dealing with foreclosures and short-sale homes.

“But there are people who don't have any money to go into any type of housing, so it's going to take it to the next level for us,” said Coldwell Banker Realtor Susan Baltaragis, of Naperville.

Coldwell Banker organizers expect about 20 people to sleep out. They plan to split into groups of four and then go to the grocery store to find a meal for a family of four for $5.

“I think it'll be eye-opening,” Baltaragis said.

In addition to the transitional housing program for families, money raised through the event also goes to Bridge Communities' programs such as life-skills mentoring, an auto program, financial counseling and employment training.

Last year's Sleep Out Saturday event raised more than $100,000.

New this year, people interested in donating money to the effort can text ‘bridge' to 20222. Or people can visit sleepoutsaturday.org for more information.

“The exciting part is that we do have new groups this year and we're seeing a trend in the growth of our family groups,” said Jennie Gates, manager of special events. “That's very encouraging to see that the community as a whole is embracing that.”

If you go

<P>What: Sleep Out Saturday rally</P>

<P>When: 6:30 to 8 p.m. </P>

<P>Where: Bridge Communities, 505

Crescent Blvd., Glen Ellyn</P>

<P>Cost: none</P>

<P>Info: sleepoutsaturday.org</P>