Junior League of Montclair-Newark Host Sleep Out for the Homeless

The Junior League of Montclair-Newark, Inc will be joining the Covenant House Sleep Out program for a second time this year on February 26th, 2021. Last year In addition to bringing much needed public awareness to an ongoing homelessness situation, The Junior League of Montclair-Newark, raised a major substantial contribution for this campaign. For 2021 The Junior League of Montclair-Newark is happy to team with Covenant House, New Jersey which provides comprehensive residential care and related services to help New Jersey’s youth who have suffered from abuse, neglect, abandonment, homelessness and human trafficking and enables them to build a life for themselves that is good.

Homelessness has been increasing since 2016 and yet the world is still moving through the COVID-19 pandemic along with experiencing a national recession which clearly means these economic conditions will further drive increases in homelessness. The demographic data of the report Homelessness in 2021: Five Factors to Watch” showed that homelessness is on the rise among two distinct age groups. People who are very old, and people who are relatively young. It was stated that efforts to serve these groups will depend upon the ability to define and fund targeted strategies for each.

There are about 4.2 million kids in 2019 facing homelessness in America every night and right here in New Jersey, there are about 3,000 kids that do not have a home. Over the years, Covenant House has found homeless sleeping under bridges, abandoned buildings, or riding the trains. Some try to stay with people they have meet, often at a cost that no one should pay. We have lost kids to human trafficking, substance abuse, gangs, jail, and even death.

Enter the Junior League of Montclair-Newark, Inc (JLMN) who have shown they are committed to helping address this situation by participating again this year's Junior League of Montclair-Newark, Inc (JLMN) Sleep Out fundraiser. This event provide a substantial amount of the money that is used by Covenant House to provide safe housing, food, clothing, and other critical resources for our young people. As stated the COVID-19 pandemic has resulted in us all having to alter all of our fundraising plans but due to the pandemic, the 2021 Sleep Out event is being adapted to our times. Folks can donate and sleep out in backyards, front yards, or where ever it's safe and convenient etc. and therefore still participate and support the cause.

Please join us and learn more about this cause at: https://covenanthousenj.org/how-you-can-help/events/sleep-out/sleep-out-montclair. We hope you can join us.