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People to sleep on the street so Mission youth don’t have to

Event needs volunteers and donations
30905483_web1_HomelessnessFollowUp-SVR-201023-filephoto_1
Homeless man lying on the bench. File photo

Some people are leaving their warm beds for a night to help youth in Mission sleep in their own warm beds.

YUnite Outside is an event where people across the Metro Vancouver area sleep outside on cold concrete to fight for the vulnerable youth in our community.

Before Mission Youth House (MY House) was established, the former Mission Homeless Youth Committee conducted research to assess the need of youth in Mission experiencing homelessness.

Their research found that, at any given time, there can be up to 25 youth in Mission couch surfing, camping, roaming the streets or forced into exploitive shelter situations. MY House began as a way to respond to this issue.

The goal of the Nov. 18 event for Mission is to have 25 sleepers for the 25 Mission youth.

The event runs at the Westlund Building 19951 80A Ave. in Langley, with people raising money and then sleeping outside from 9 p.m. to 8 a.m.

Helena, one of the former youth of MY House, experienced episodic homelessness and often slept outside her high school when she felt she couldn’t go home.

Helena wanted a change but was frustrated.

“I was hanging out on the streets,” she says. “I wasn’t proud of my addiction, so I felt like the streets were where I belonged.”

When she found MY House, they were able to support her in making the changes she was taking steps towards.

People are invited to join Youth Unlimited and the community to help vulnerable youth who are slipping through the cracks. Sleep outside and/or donate to raise awareness and support for the challenges vulnerable youth face every day and night.

Participate at youthunlimited.com/yunite.

READ MORE: Reno night raising money for hospice


 

@shinebox44
chris.campbell@missioncityrecord.com

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Chris Campbell

About the Author: Chris Campbell

I joined the Victoria News hub as an editor in 2023, bringing with me over 30 years of experience from community newspapers in Metro Vancouver and the Fraser Valley
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