About Sleep Out 120

SLEEP OUT 120: So Others Can Sleep In

Sleep Out 120 is a five-day, 120-hour-long campaign, running from April 25-30, 2011, during which participants commit to living “homeless” on the streets of St. John’s to raise awareness on the issue of youth homelessness in Newfoundland and Labrador. The campaign also aims to raise monetary funds for its recipient charity, Choices for Youth, a non-profit, community-based agency that provides housing and lifestyle development supports to youth in the St. John’s metro area. By encouraging our city’s young people to sacrifice their comforts and stand up for those less fortunate than themselves, this campaign supports a vision of social responsibility through youth supporting youth. 

TO SUPPORT OUR CAMPAIGN:

Please visit http://www.choicesforyouth.ca/donate.html to make a direct online donation to Choices for Youth, or mail a cheque to the following address:

Choices for Youth
12-16 Carter’s Hill Place
St. John’s, NL
Canada A1C 6N5


In St. John’s, Newfoundland, there are approximately 1,200 individuals who are classified as homeless and an additional 10,000 adults and children who are at risk of becoming homeless. Almost a third of Canada’s homeless population is between the ages of 16 and 24, meaning that approximately 65,000 young people in this country are without a place to call home. Canada's homeless youth are often forced into shelters or onto friends’ couches due to abusive or neglectful situations at home, and suffer a greater number of injuries, sexually transmitted infections, mental health problems and pregnancies than their peers in stable housing situations.

We have all seen homeless people living on the streets, seeking refuge in doorways, parks, or other public places, but we rarely see approximately 80 per cent of those without a place to call home – the hidden homeless

What causes Homelessness? The barriers, barriers like the LGBT (lesbian, gay, bi-sexual, transsexual) culture, aboriginal, aging out of care (Child and youth family services), family breakdown, poverty, addictions, sexual exploitation, education and employment. This is why homelessness happens! We need to support the youth as they face these very difficult barriers in life.

Our province's homeless youth move from friend to friend and relative to relative while searching for affordable housing. They live in cars or abandoned buildings and sleep in church basements to survive the winter.

What can we do?!?!

There needs to be more affordable and supportive housing for our youth. There needs to be more projects like the Lilly Building(Choices), Carew lodge (SBCS), Brian Martin Centre (SBCS), etc. Instead our youth facing housing situations where they share a room with 5 strangers who may all have serve addiction issues and how is a youth able to co-exist productivity in such living arrangements? Youth need to have safe, affordable and supportive housing so they're able to obtain employment, an education and a good quality of living. Sleep Out 120 is stepping up and letting our government know the need for more affordable and supportive housing. By donating and supporting this campaign, you will provide our youth with a promising future for there to be more safe, affordable and supportive housing projects.

We can make and change! We will make a difference!

The Sleep Out 120 campaign is designed and executed by young Newfoundland and Labradorians in the hopes of shedding light onto this very tragedy – that of hidden youth homelessness in this province.