Sleeping Outside Along I-94 | YouthLink Executive Sleep Out

It's midnight in Downtown Minneapolis, and rather than returning home from an event with family and friends, staying extra vigilant of our surroundings to ensure we're not vulnerable to any potential dangers, I'm laying on the ground with a group of businesspeople, staring up at the solar eclipse. Why? It is part of the 2nd annual fundraiser called "Night of Hope" with local nonprofit, YouthLink. They seek to bring awareness to the issue of homeless youth and raise funds for the cause.   

Our sleeping location on the YouthLink Center's lawn of I-94

Soon after laying down, much to my surprise I am easily drifting off to sleep, finding the sound of the I-94 traffic, a crackling campfire, and the quiet voices of other participants therapeutic. Yes, the cardboard box on which I am sleeping is not the most comfortable and knowing I am sleeping out in the open in the city is not the most comforting thought, but overall, a shockingly pleasant way to fall asleep.

However, looking back on the evening now, I recognize that though YouthLink did all they could to make us volunteers sleep well and feel safe, this was not the point.

Lessons learned:

Homeless youth don't often have a police car parked beside them in order to keep them protected. They don't have a fresh sleeping bag or feather pillow and they definitely don't get offered endless snacks, a cozy fire, and an option to come inside at any point. Most striking of all, they don't have the option to get up and drive home if they feel like it, as I was tempted to do when I first laid down. The point is, we're lucky we never have to feel that discomfort, and we should use our fortune to make sure others don't either. 

David and me volunteering at the YouthLink Center's Food ShelfYouthLink Nicollet Square Center - donation room for apartment supplies

The biggest surprise to me was that participants in the program were close to my age, 22. When I recognized this commonality, it hit home to listen to the formerly homeless "youths" of YouthLink describe their stories of leaving home (by choice or by force), traversing around Minneapolis to find the next place to sleep for the night, and then trying to make it to school or work. I was confronted with a thought we've all had from time to time, of how easily we could be in that situation if we did not have the family or resources we do. 

It is no wonder that homeless youth can come across as violent or angry - we all would struggle to stay level-headed if we had the same circumstances thrown at us. They are confused why society has let them fall behind. 

“We fear a lot of things in life, but the biggest fear we have is not accomplishing our goals. We just wanna be someone.” – Danzell, Youth Panelist

Again, the point is that they are people just like you and me and deserve the same stability we receive through our resources. The difference is they need a few more resources to get them off the street and back into society. They want to live life worrying about school, rent and accomplishing their goals, rather than with the all-consuming worry of whether or not they'll survive the night. I realized how lucky I have it when my daily fear is not whether or not I'll be safe. They deserve that relief and stability as well. 

What their solution is...

We all feel empathy when we see someone sleeping on a bench, but do we all go about our days with the priority of resolving this issue?

This event with YouthLink is not meant to leave us feeling guilty about our response to this question, but it is meant to initiate a response. In the very least, we can start the conversation, and in places other than the YouthLink center. We can bring it to our homes and workplace, getting people to consider donating their time, money, or even simply a few items of clothing. We can make ourselves a little uncomfortable in hopes that it brings comfort to others. 

What was so encouraging in learning about YouthLink is that I saw how doable it is to change lives - how they've made making a difference an accessible process. Everyone can give something to a cause like this, and luckily, because of such nonprofits, our small effort can multiply into a huge difference in someone's life, for the rest of their life.

This is not a charity, it's an investment...

What the speakers especially emphasized is that donating to this organization is not the same as charity work. You aren't merely giving money away to another pot that feeds someone for one day, and then disappears, leaving the person still homeless and hungry. Likewise, you are you not simply leaving your money in the bank or investing it in the stock market. Rather, you're investing in a young adult, who has the rest of their life to pay it forward. As Nick, another ArcStone participant, put it: investing in a human life is the most worthy cause available to us. 

When you break it down, giving to an organization like this is a way to not only benefit our economy, but most importantly, to give someone a chance in life. If we invest in youth like Danzell, they can go out and seek their goals. They want to work and do something with their lives, but when they're homeless, they are stuck in a cycle. This cycle includes temporary fixes (like a night at the Salvation Army for food and shelter on bug-infested mats) and many lows that, in effect, hurt society (unaffordable hospital bills, violence on the streets of our cities). We don't want temporary fixes, but instead life-changing solutions. With YouthLink, youth are given the resources they need in order to pay their own way, and grow to their full potential.

Long lines outside Salvation Army as the homeless wait for a bed for the night. 

The pieces of the puzzle are there, and all they ask is that we take our piece and help put it all together.

What can you do?

Fundraising pages for this event are still open for two weeks (9/28 - 10/12) here, and if you're too late, you can always give to the organization here. If not financially, get involved in the conversation by attending round table discussions with leaders like Congressman Keith Ellison. With funding and conversation comes change and with change, we can improve. Congressman Keith Ellison, friend of YouthLink Youths and Keynote Speaker