HOMELESS FOR A NIGHT

The snow returned late Saturday night just as a couple dozen kids in Lakewood crawled into cardboard boxes on the front lawns of two local churches to get a few winks. The kids were “homeless for a night” to draw attention to the homeless situation in Northeast Ohio. Currently Northeast Ohio has approximately 25,000 homeless people, 9,000 of which are families and 2,000 of which are children.

Chris Roberts, 17 of Avon Lake, is participating in the Sleep Out for the second year in a row. “We are trying to raise awareness of the homeless in our area.” Roberts will be graduating this year and although he will be away at college next year he plans on making the trip back to participate in the Sleep Out again saying, “It’s a good feeling to know that you are doing something good for the community.”

Laura Leatherman, 16, is participating for the 3rd time. “I wasn’t aware that there were homeless people in Lakewood before this. It really woke me up to how bad the situation is. I am freezing cold, I get really cold just walking around school and I can’t even imagine how bad it must be for the homeless who have to live like this every day.” Leatherman said they have had homeless people stop by and thank them for what they are doing. “We talked with them for awhile and we offered them some of our pizza and I know some have gone inside to get warmed up.”

Donations of food and cash for the homeless are typically high during the holiday season but drop off after New Years, the Sleep Out hopes to change that. “The weather in our area is worse in January and February then in November and December, people need to not forget the problem after the holidays are over.”

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