Family Promise to Host Summer Sleep-Out to Raise Awareness for Family Homelessness in America
Summit, NJ – June 26, 2021 — Family Promise, the nation’s leading organization fighting family homelessness, is hosting a summer sleep-out event on June 26, 2021. Night Without a Bed is a social media challenge that raises awareness for families experiencing homelessness.
We ask participants to sleep anywhere without a bed: cars, a tent, a treehouse, living room floor, a couch and use the hashtag #NightWithoutABed to post a video blog or photo with a short blog entry to describe their experiences. In the run-up to the event, participants will challenge another friend to participate in #NightWithoutABed or make a donation to Family Promise.
Every year in America, over 3 million children experience homelessness. These children are 8-9 times more likely to repeat a grade, 3 times more likely to be placed in special education programs, and 7 times more likely to attempt suicide. 42% will drop out of school at some point and 47% suffer from anxiety, depression, or withdrawal.
“Family homelessness was a national crisis long before the pandemic, but the health and economic challenges of the past year have put many more children at risk of experiencing homelessness,” said Cara Bradshaw, Chief Impact Officer. “On June 26th, we are asking the community to come together for Night Without a Bed and raise awareness for an issue that is often invisible.”
Sponsors for the event include Clayton, Belk, Ikea, Woodforest National Bank, KIA Motors America, Synchrony, Progressive, and TJX. Kiddie Academy is a corporate supporter.
For more information on Night Without a Bed and instructions for participating, visit NightWithoutaBed.org.
About Family Promise
Family Promise envisions a nation in which every family has a home, a livelihood, and the chance to build a better future. What began as a local initiative in Summit, NJ, has become a national movement that involves 200,000 volunteers and served more than 111,000 family members in 2019. Family Promise will change the future for 1 million children by 2030.
Currently, Family Promise is working in over 200 communities in 43 states to ensure that families experiencing homelessness have a safe place to call home and the resources they need during the COVID-19 pandemic.
