Sleep out is marked success

Posted Feb 2, 2012 By Michael J Brethour

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EMC News -Belleville -After a night in the cold, the Canadian Mental Health Association can sleep a little easier now that their major fund raiser is back on track.

With a lower than expected gross from last year's event, organizers of the fifth annual "Sleep Out So Others Can Sleep In" didn't know what to expect this year.

But by exceeding their $10,000 goal with a total of $11,600 and an additional $2,000 raised from the Bancroft event the organization can easily call the event a remarkable success.

Nancy Smith, a board member of the CMHA said that the night was a record turnout of the about 200 people that slept out in Belleville's Market Square. Though the Bancroft event only saw ten participants, executive director Sandy Sidsworth said a lot of people stopped by to check out the event and emphasised the first year of the event was more about generating awareness.

Smith attributed the success to a successful publicity campaign through the local media and getting the message out earlier this year, the majority of the campaign Smith noted that the efforts were spearheaded by fund-raising co-ordinator Joel Frijters.

"The biggest part was making the community aware of the importance of the sleep out," he said. "The publicity we generated was key."

The night marked the balmiest weather the event has scene in five years, which organizers noted that may contributed to the increased attendance.

A total of 33 students from Albert College were among more than 150 people Friday night who braved the elements.

"We can't say enough about the support from Albert College," noted Smith.

Though the event was aimed at giving people a taste of what it may feel like to be homeless, there is not really any simulated situation that can rival being homeless noted Belleville resident Peter Paylor.

Speaking from his personal experience of being homeless Paylor noted that while the spirit and goal of the event is very noble, true homelessness is an exercise in solitude.

"One thing that is really important about this event and homelessness is that it is isolating and lonely.

Whether this simulates that or not doesn't really matter to me, it brings together a sense of community and whenever you can find that it is an amazing thing," he said.

Paylor noted that in his particular story, mental health issues and addiction did not come to play, rather it was the ending of a relationship at a bad time when he happened to be unemployed.

"People need to know that it is just one pay cheque away sort of thing for most people," he said.

He said regardless of the authenticity of the homeless experience, the night gets the participants thinking.

"It really shines a light on the whole idea of community and people here actually think about the people off sleeping by themselves in the cold, which is the most important part of tonight," he said.

When asked if he thought the community could do more to battle the issue of homelessness, Paylor noted that communities can always do more, but in Belleville seeing people sleep on the street is somewhat of a rarity.

"For the most part we are talking about families, we are talking about kids, we are talking about people who are pretty much invisible to the community. That person you walk by today might be a homeless person, maybe not the one that was asking you for change," he said.

The funds from the event are earmarked to go toward maintenance of the three transitional homes supported by the CMHA. Smith noted that every month the CMHA is forced to turn 35 people away from transitional housing because of full capacity.

"There really is that heartbreaking knowledge that there are more people that need help and we cannot help them," she said.

For more information on the services offered by the Canadian Mental Health Association call the office at 613-969-8874 or visit < www.hastings-cmha.org>.







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