On Nov. 21, a group of executives, business leaders and corporate teams will spend a night sleeping on the streets of Vancouver to raise funds in support of youth experiencing homelessness.
Peter Lukomskyj, a multi-year Sleep Out: Executive Edition participant, first gave up his bed for a night while working as a regional director at Lyft, the ride-sharing company. But youth homelessness eradication had long been a cause close to his heart. “Having lived in Vancouver since 2005, I had walked to work downtown for almost a decade and was just really acutely aware of the homelessness in our city. I found it especially hard to see young people on the street. So that's really why I got involved,” he says.
Lukomskyj says the Sleep Out campaign goes beyond the act of sleeping outside to experience a fraction of what homeless youth face every night: “On the surface, people may think, okay, you're getting into a sleeping bag and you're sleeping in an alley, but really it’s a community-building experience.”
The first few hours of the event include a tour of Covenant House shelter facilities at 1280 Seymour Street that gives participants a look at youth accommodation and amenities available for short term drop-in or long term stays. During this portion of the evening, participants hear stories directly from youth, and learn about Covenant House programs and offerings. Participants also gather the following morning for a wrap-up event.
“That really gives you a sense of what lives are like for youth as they enter a program, but also as they go through the various types of services available — whether that's a drop-in for someone who needs a hot shower, some food, and someone to talk to for a few hours, or needs more long-term accommodations and health services available in the residential programs,” Lukomskyj explains.
For Lukomskyj, his first Sleep Out event dramatically changed his perspective on the issues facing youth in Vancouver. “It really helped me connect more deeply with the community that I live in. Having been someone who commutes by foot and by bike, I see the issues we have with homelessness in our city quite acutely,” he says.
“To be able to see that more deeply, to understand the experience — not from a sleeping outside perspective, but as an individual who would come and stay at the facility to learn what their lives would be like there — it really connected me more deeply with my community. It really got me more interested in helping in other ways,” he continues.
Lukomskyj says Sleep Out is also a great opportunity to raise awareness of Covenant House and its programs for other executives and business leaders who might want to donate to, or participate in, Sleep Out in future years. “It gave me the opportunity to connect my network to Covenant House, through the fundraising with 100 or so donors who donate to my fundraiser,” Lukomskyj says.
Now in its 13th year, the Sleep Out campaign aims to have approximately 75 participants raise over $1,000,000 while increasing awareness about the challenges faced by youth.
If you’re interested in participating, or donating to support a participant, visit the Sleep Out website. Registration to participate remains open until the event date.
