Chicago Women Raise $50K at SLEEP OUT For Homeless Youth

On Thursday, June 13th, Covenant House Illinois hosted its first-ever “Women Unite” SLEEP OUT in St. James Plaza. An extension of CHIL’s November SLEEP OUT event, this new edition brought out women professionals and community leaders who raised awareness and $50K for homeless youth by giving up sleeping outside for the night.

Participants set individual or team fundraising goals, and created personal pages to share with friends, family, and colleagues in an effort to increase visibility for homeless youth and raise funds critical to CHIL’s mission of ending youth homelessness.

SLEEP OUT: WOMEN UNITE was emceed by Telemundo’s Anayeli Ruiz and began with a light meal shared amongst CHIL youth, volunteers, staff, and participants.

The evening also featured a program that helped foster a connection between participants and youth while highlighting issues around youth homelessness. Elements of the program included a panel with special guests Illinois Comptroller Susana Mendoza, Joycee Black from Cara, and CHIL Associate Board Member, Andrea Yacub; stories from current youth and staff; a fashion show prepared in partnership with Gorgeous Things, Giving Store; and spoken word performances by the youth of Covenant House Illinois.

Around 10:30 p.m., participants were given a sleeping bag and a box and headed outside on the plaza to pick their sleeping spot for the cool and balmy evening. Those sleeping out included Comptroller Mendoza, a team from Accenture, and nearly 30 women from across the community.

The following morning, a brief discussion and reflection took place before everyone departed.

“Last Thursday, women from all disciplines, communities and backgrounds stood in solidarity with youth experiencing homelessness, explained CHIL CEO, Cheryl Hamilton-Hill. “They challenged the rest of us to step up and do something now to prevent these youth from becoming homeless adults. We are thrilled to see the passion, energy, and commitment that Women Unite participants have brought to this effort. Each of them is amazing!”

Covenant House Illinois opened its doors in February 2017 and has received over 16,000 visits by more than 500 young people in Chicago and provides over 4,000 nights off the streets annually. It’s Youth Development Center is open for daytime programming seven days a week AND a 12-bed residential facility offers interim housing for youth ages 18-24. Covenant House Illinois provides a safe and caring environment, with access to immediate resources, such as food and laundry, as well as workforce training and job placement, case management, and wraparound services. Through agreements with leading Chicago agencies, young people can also access physical and mental healthcare, substance abuse, and legal services on-site.

For more information on Covenant House Illinois, please visit www.convenanthouseil.org

About Covenant House

Covenant House is more than a homeless shelter. For overfour decades, it has helped transform the lives of more than one million homeless, runaway and trafficked young people by offering housing and support services to youthin need. Annually, Covenant House cares for more than 80,000 homeless and trafficked youth in 31 cities across the U.S., Canada and Latin America.