As students snuggle into their beds on campus, many people in
the city of St. Louis wander the streets searching for shelter.
During the eighth-annual Homeless Awareness Week–April
18-24–students at Saint Louis University will be invited to
participate in events to learn about and support homeless
people.

“Homeless Awareness Week is a forum to raise our consciousness
about the homeless and poverty in America,” said David Clark,
director of the Center for Leadership and Community Service.

Near doorways and elevators across campus, CLCS has placed
cardboard boxes meant for donations of clothing, toiletries and
other items. The boxes will be out until April 18, and the
donations will be distributed during Open Doors on Monday, April
19. Set to draw more than 600 people, Open Doors is a resource fair
meant to assist homeless and other needy people by providing
information, a hot meal and access to the clothing and other
donations.

The event begins at 10 a.m. and ends at 2 p.m. Volunteers are
still needed to greet and sort clothes at the event. Sign up and
training for Open Doors is today, with sessions at 5 p.m., 6 p.m.
and 7 p.m. in the Busch Student Center room 251A.

Students who wish to leave their cozy beds to experience a night
of simulated homelessness can participate in the Sleep Out in the
Quad on Tuesday night. The event begins with a candelight vigil at
10 p.m. All students are invited to bring a blanket to sleep
outside for the evening, an event that is meant to show solidarity
with the homeless, according to Janelle Densberger. Students will
then be assigned a place to sleep, and some will be given cardboard
boxes. The idea, Densberger explained, is for the students
participating in the Sleep Out to explain to passers-by why they
are spending the night outside.

“SLU is a lot of middle class students,” Densberger said. “But
if you walk a few blocks off campus, homelessness is very
prevalent.”

On Wednesday, April 21, students can gather to express
themselves and learn about homelessness.

From 9 p.m. until midnight in Wackadoo’s, there will be an
openmic night interspersed with statistics and information about
homelessness.

Thursday April 22, there will be a Hunger 101 simulation,
sponsored by Campus Kitchen in DeMattias Hall. Between 2 p.m. and 7
p.m. there will be hourly simulations of hunger throughout the
world, where students will be able to observe the ratio of haves to
have-nots through a dining-hall experience.

Throughout the week, CLCS will also distribute Good Samaritan
cards. Densberger explained that these cards contain information
about local shelters and resources that homeless people can
utilize. The cards are an alternative for students who feel
uncomfortable giving spare change to homeless people who might ask
them for money.

Clark added that the events for the week are an extension of
SLU’s Jesuit mission. “We want to continue to address social
justice issues that affect us,” Clark said. Students who wish to
volunteer for Open Doors may contact Clark at 977-2805.