In a fenced-in parking lot in West Oakland, Nicole Hanke wrestles with a piece of cardboard that she's trying to fashion into a protective shelter. The forecast is for rain, and Hanke will be sleeping on concrete. Her bed will be cardboard and a sleeping bag.
While Hanke has a home and a steady job at Cisco in San Jose, she’s spending Friday night sleeping outside with over 30 other people, all of whom have been fundraising for the last few months for the nonprofit Covenant House. This organization helps homeless youth between 18 and 24 years old with free housing, food and job services.
Covenant House staff members estimate that there are roughly 3,500 homeless youth in the Bay Area. According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, homeless youth numbered over 45,000 in the United States in 2014. Covenant House staff say most residents lack a safety net. Many young people who stay there are former foster youth, identify as LGBT, or are immigrants who have come from Central America.
Connie Chung is sleeping out for a second year in a row. She says, "When you’re homeless, it’s not just the loss of your physical residence." Beyond that, "it’s the loss of a psychological sense of safety."
