Sleep Out Saturday supports Bridge Communities

First, mist began to fall lightly on Warrenville teenager Isaac DuPree's cardboard box. Then rain came down hard and leaked in, soaking his sleeping bag in the middle of the night.

It wasn't long before the cardboard melted away and the parking lot he slept in outside the First Baptist Church of Wheaton began to flood with water.

The teen's mother, worried about his asthma, demanded he go inside. But in the year since he first participated in Sleep Out Saturday, DuPree couldn't stop thinking about all those who don't have that option, all of those enduring family homelessness.

"It's heartbreaking to think that there're people who are stuck out there with all sorts of health conditions - even when it does get rainy or cold," said DuPree, 18, who will join more than 1,500 others throughout DuPage County who will sleep outdoors for the sixth annual Sleep Out Saturday on Nov. 7. "They're stuck out there no matter what and that's something that we need to stop."

The event raises money and awareness for Glen Ellyn-based Bridge Communities, a transitional housing program that provides housing and educational services for 100 families each year. In the past, people have raised more than $404,000 during Sleep Out Saturday, which equals 16,610 nights of housing.

Five is the average age of homeless people in DuPage County, according to Bridge Communities.

It's a startling statistic, especially because so many people picture the homeless with a different face, said Lisa Hedrick, Sleep Out Saturday event coordinator.

"Family homelessness is really a hidden epidemic," Hedrick said. "It's not usually the people you think of who have homelessness. It's not just the crazy, dirty, mental illness person. There are people in need and they look just like you and I."

More than 50 groups of people will sleep out throughout the county, with an additional 30 families participating at their homes, Hedrick said.

Participants can use boxes, tents, tarps and vehicles as shelter and dress according to the weather.

Instead of dreaming, warm in their beds, 10 of Julie Ames' children who participate in Campfire USA will sleep in the front yard of her Lombard home. Lombard-based Campfire USA is a not-for-profit boys and girls club for children in kindergarten through 12th grade.

Two years ago, Ames' group raised $1,100 to fight homelessness. When rain and snow flitted down onto their transitional housing and ruined it, some of the children slept in cars.

"It is a sacrifice, and kids today sometimes aren't very self-sacrificing," Ames said. "For adults it's even more of an eye opener for us because it's brutal - being cold and on the ground. It definitely gives you a lot more empathy."

Sleep Out Saturday differs from other fundraising activities like golf outings or black tie events, organizers say.

"(Those events wouldn't) really speak to the mission of the organization and that's to help people and build awareness and really to raise empathy for those who are less fortunate," Hedrick said. "Really this is an incredibly successful event in that it does all three of those."

Ames agrees. When her children participated two years ago, they were given one ticket to go to the restroom indoors for the entire night, so they'd have to think about prioritizing that break as if they would if they were homeless. They got a light snack of popcorn before bed.

This year, they'll do a scavenger hunt and have to search for places for a free newspaper to look for jobs, a place to use the bathroom and a where to find a bus schedule.

"For the older kids, it makes them a little bit more understanding and, hopefully, compassionate," she said. "It certainly makes them appreciative of not having to do that."

After the last sleep out, Ames' neighbor, moved by the children's message, brought them hot chocolate in the morning.

"It makes an impact when people actually think about it," Ames said. "It isn't just something you read about. This is happening all the time, especially nowadays."

Bridge Communities differs from other social service agencies in that beyond housing, it offers educational services, employment counseling and mentoring to help people handle finances better and reduce debt.

More than 1,700 people now live self-sufficiently after receiving help from Bridge Communities since it was founded in 1988.

In today's economy, just one significant crisis could put a family out of their homes, Hedrick said.

"It's really about education and change and fundamentally, it's a solution rather than just a bandage for a problem," Hedrick said. "That's so important right now in the economic times that we're in."

Those participating will gather for a rally from 6:30 p.m. to 8 p.m. Saturday at the Crescent Boulevard Municipal Parking lot in Glen Ellyn.

For information, visit bridgecommunities.org.

If you go

What: Sleep Out Saturday rally

When: 6:30 to 8:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 7

Where: Crescent Boulevard municipal parking lot in Glen Ellyn

Info: bridgecommunities.org