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| Sleeper Since 2013 |
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Audra McDonald Sleeper Since 2014 |
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| Sleeper Since 2011 |
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A Letter from Our Sleep Out Executive Committee
Dear friends,
“The endgame is to allow things to drag on until union members start losing their apartments and losing their houses.”
These words -- from a studio executive to Deadline about the Writer’s Guild Strike -- are ringing in our ears. To know there are people in our industry who don't value a home as essential for every person and are willing to leverage the security of others for their own advantage is infuriating and gives us renewed energy and urgency heading into this year's Sleep Out: Stage and Screen.
Rates of homelessness all over the country have been on the rise, even before the recent strikes. Losing your apartment or house usually comes with more than losing a safe place to sleep each night – it can mean losing parts of yourself. People facing homelessness have an increased risk of facing physical violence, mental health challenges, and employment discrimination. Once you’re experiencing homelessness, getting out can be an uphill battle.
For more than 2,200 young people a day, that’s where Covenant House comes in.
Covenant House knows all too well the hurdles that exist when trying to move from homelessness to independence. That’s why they offer an array of life-changing and life-saving services – education programs, job training, legal aid, physical and mental health care, transitional housing support – in addition to safe shelter to the young people in their care. That’s why they advocate for vital legislation like affordable housing measures and minimum wage laws to help prevent homelessness. That’s why they’re guided by principles of absolute respect and unconditional love for every single person who walks through their doors.
That’s also why we hope you will join us at this year’s Stage & Screen Sleep Out. No matter what is going on in the world – be it a global pandemic, a hurricane, a changing political landscape – Covenant House is open 24/7, in 34 cities across the U.S., Latin America, and Canada, for any young person who needs a safe place to sleep. And no matter what’s going on in the world, our community of artists will always rally together to continue to remind these young people and each other that we are not alone.
We understand that, with everything going on in the world and in our industry, fundraising can be a challenge. The Covenant House team is here every step of the way to make the entire experience simple, fun, and impactful. They can help set a goal of any size that feels right for you, and they’ll work with you every step of the way to get there with fundraising tips, shareable graphics and statistics and personalized support. Every dollar raised can be the difference between homelessness and hope, and every email, text, and social media post shared amplifies the message that there are real people behind the statistics and when we work together we can be a part of ending youth homelessness.
Join us and Sleep Out on Sunday, August 20th at Covenant House New York in Manhattan or unite with us remotely from anywhere in the world. You can sign up here.
Thank you for being part of our community.