Homeless for a night in Cedar Rapids

CEDAR RAPIDS - Colette Franks knows a little bit about the challenges of being homeless. The 21-year-old Cedar Rapids resident says a few of her friends have been homeless in the past.

'I know it was really hard for them because they don't have a set home,” she said. 'I could refer them to the little that I knew ... but I couldn't do a lot.”

To gain a better understanding of the situation her friends have experienced, Franks joined hundreds of others Saturday night at Veterans Memorial Stadium in Cedar Rapids for the 11th annual Sleep Out for the Homeless event, during which area residents spend one night sleeping outside in an effort to raise awareness for those in Linn County who spend every night without a home.

'Stuff like this will help the support go up for them, so people who are in that situation can get more help,” said Franks.

Hosted by the Linn County Office of Veteran Affairs and Community Circle of Care, Sleep Out for the Homeless is held each year in conjunction with National Hunger and Homeless Awareness Week.

'The main thing is, (participants) get just a tiny flavor of what it's like (to be homeless),” said Don Tyne, director of Linn County Veteran Affairs. 'In reality, they don't really get a feel for it.”

Those considered homeless lack permanent or stable housing, which might mean they sleep in a car, a shelter or stay with friends due to an inability to maintain their own housing.

A biannual data survey conducted in July 2015 by the Linn County Continuum of Care Planning and Policy Council found 446 individuals living on the street, or served by local emergency shelters in the first six months of that year.

'The average age of the homeless in Linn County is 9 years old,” Tyne said. 'Most of the homeless we see are families.”

To get a taste of homelessness, participants at this year's Sleep Out were invited to bring their own tents or use the cardboard provided at the event to build their own shelters for the night on the concourse of the stadium, 950 Rockford Road SW. The event started at 3 p.m. Saturday and wrapped up at 6 a.m. Sunday.

Lee Eggers, 78, of Cedar Rapids spent the night with members of the Holy Redeemer Lutheran Church group. Eggers, who said she participated to help 'make the young people (in my church) aware of how lucky they are.”

Event organizers hope to raise at least $15,000 through this year's Sleep Out. Last year, they raised almost $29,000 as about 112 people spent the night outdoors. Since it's inception, the event has raised more than $100,000. All of the money raised goes to help charitable programs in Linn County that provide basic necessities like shelter and food to those in need. Recipients this year are Area Substance Abuse Council, Catherine McAuley Center, Cedar Valley Friends of the Family, Early Promise of Linn County, Foundation 2, Hawkeye Area Community Action Program, Mission of Hope, St. John of the Cross Catholic Worker House, Salvation Army Emergency Lodging Program, Waypoint and Willis Dady Emergency Shelter.

Aside from the money raised, Sleep Out for the Homeless aims to educate, said Tyne, who founded the event in November 2005 while working as a board member at Willis Dady. Originally, the event aimed to raise awareness about homeless veterans, but has since been expanded to include anyone considered homeless.

The first Sleep Out took place on the campus of Coe College and involved five AmeriCorps volunteers and a handful of local veterans. It raised $3,000.

After that, the Community Circle of Care joined the effort and the event was later moved to Greene Square before landing at Veterans Memorial Stadium in 2009.

'They joined us, and it just grew,” Tyne said. 'It creates an awareness of what we actually do for the community homeless.”