Raising awareness for youth homelessness at Waypoint’s March 29 SleepOut

MANCHESTER, NH – Waypoint is shining a spotlight throughout New Hampshire on young people experiencing homelessness at the 10th Anniversary SleepOut event. On March 29, hundreds of people from across the state will spend a night out in the cold to expand the collective consciousness about homelessness and to raise funds to address critical needs for young people facing a myriad of challenges associated with homelessness.

An initiative of Waypoint, the 24-hour experiential fundraiser supports major resources Waypoint runs to serve these youth, including the state’s only low-barrier young adult emergency shelter in Manchester and drop-in centers in Concord and Rochester.

“Sleeping in a warm, safe environment each night is something that most people don’t think twice about,” said Borja Alvarez de Toledo, president and CEO of Waypoint NH. “For a variety of reasons, this is just not possible for many young people in our state. For one night, supporters will sleep in the cold just as many young people experiencing homelessness do every night. It is a moment of solidarity that we participate in to create change within our community for our most vulnerable citizens and our future generation. We are hoping for a record turnout at our 10th anniversary SleepOut to help end youth homelessness in New Hampshire.”

Sleepers can participate individually or in teams with friends and co-workers. They sign up online and use pledge forms to gain support for their night out in the cold. In 2023, more than 2,100 pledges were received for the sleepers. All revenue raised will support youth homelessness, which is a rapidly growing concern across the Granite State. In New Hampshire, it is estimated that 15,000 youth experience some form of homelessness each year. And at least 70 percent of these people will not have the option to return to a safe and stable home.

“I was always so worried about where I would go at night,” said Elle, who is 23 years old and has traveled across three states in the last 18 months. “You would never think people my age would be in this situation and not have a place to go or a bed to sleep in at night. Waypoint is very important to me and has saved me.”

As the sole provider of comprehensive services for young people at risk for or experiencing homelessness, Waypoint offers resources for a safe night’s sleep and support for the future. The 14-bed shelter in Manchester, co-located with the Youth Resource Center Drop-in, is the state’s only low-barrier shelter and safe space dedicated to young people with services tailored to their unique developmental needs and individualized care. Waypoint also provides runaway and homeless youth prevention and street outreach, transitional housing and rapid rehousing. There are many long-term consequences associated with youth homelessness, including long-term trauma, health problems, unemployability, and chronic homelessness as adults.

In-person SleepOuts will take place in Manchester, Concord, and Rochester and individuals can virtually sleep out at other locations of their choice. Companies are encouraged to participate as well by sponsoring the event and organizing or supporting a team of sleepers. PROCON, for example, has always organized a team of sleepers on location and virtually and is a sponsor of the event.

“I fully support Waypoint’s mission to end youth homelessness in New Hampshire,” said Jen Stebbins, director at PROCON, long-time Waypoint supporter and vice chair of the Board of Directors. “Studies and common sense tell us that every day a young person is on the street, they are more likely to fall into a trap of cyclical homelessness for years to come if not a lifetime. As a community, we can help so many young people lead better lives if we address youth homelessness early and completely.”

There are four ways to help support SleepOut:

• Volunteer to be a “sleeper” and solicit pledges for spending the night outside at a set location with others, individually or with friends and colleagues.
• Coordinate a team of sleepers from an organization for a collective effort to support this cause.
• Encourage a business to become a corporate sponsor.
• Donate online to support SleepOut directly or an individual sleeper.

Over the past 10 years, SleepOut has raised $2.5 million for young people experiencing homelessness. Donations of any size can make a difference in the lives of young people. A donation of just $30 can pay for necessary documents like a non-driver’s ID and $100 can provide dinner for 10 young people in Waypoint’s shelter.

Established in 1850, Waypoint is a statewide, private, nonprofit organization dedicated to empowering people of all ages through an array of human services and advocacy serving more than 8,000 people through 24 programs and 14 locations across the state. Visit WaypointNH.org for more information.