Cardboard City gives students a glimpse of homelessness


cardboardcity
Volunteer students create homes out of cardboard boxes outside of the Park Library on Wednesday night to raise awareness for homelessness.

About 100 students braved the November chill in modest cardboard homes in the hopes of understanding what it's like to be homeless.

Harrison junior Sean VanEvery already knew from life experience.

"I was kicked out of my home for identifying as a gay individual," VanEvery said. "My family is very strong in their religious beliefs, and when I came out to my mother, we had a lot of issues and fights. Finally, a couple weeks after high school graduation, it was the final boot."

He spoke as part of Cardboard City, an annual event put on the by the Mary Ellen Brandell Volunteer Center as part of Hunger and Homelessness Awareness Week. Students made cardboard shelters as a way to raise awareness about homelessness.

Normally, students would have the option to sleep in cardboard boxes, but due to the weather conditions, the event went from 7-9 p.m. on Wednesday at the Charles V. Park Library Courtyard.

According to the National Alliance to End Homelessness, 610,042 people in the United States are homeless on any given night.

As part of the event, there was a candlelight vigil where VanEvery spoke about his experience of being homeless for three months in the summer of 2011, right before he became a student at Central Michigan University.

Right before his mother kicked him out, VanEvery said, they were in the process of moving out of their home, which was in the process of being foreclosed. At the time he was paying all of his bills.

"My mom and I got into a fight and told me that gay people were lazy and that I just didn't want to do anything," VanEvery said. "I stood my ground very hard. By me standing my ground, she told me she was tired of my disrespect and to get out of the house."

Couch hopping became a way of life, VanEvery said. His friends' parents didn't suspect his situation because it was the summer and thought they just wanted to spend some time together before going to college.

"Some nights, when I couldn't find a place to crash, I slept behind the middle school I worked at," VanEvery said. "I would have to be at work at 7:30 in the morning, so I would wake up early, sneak into the back door that I had a key for and shower in the boy's locker room."

VanEvery said his light at the end of the tunnel was coming to CMU.

"I took time to self reflect and learn more about who I was as a person," VanEvery said. "Being homeless just lurked over my head. I would always wonder if this situation was ever going to happen again."

VanEvery's talk impacted the students at the event.

"I think it was very courageous of him to share his story. Hearing his story and thinking what he went through was an eye-opening experience," said Midland sophomore Kallie Schloemann.

Okemos sophomore Lauren Lynn, on-site student coordinator for the volunteer center, said it was a powerful experience to hear his story.

"That was very heart wrenching for me to hear because you never know," Lynn said.

In addition to Vanevery speech, students made makeshift shelters out of cardboard boxes.

Some students choose to duct tape several boxes together to make a bigger shelter while others choose to flatten their box so they could sit on it.

Fraser sophomore Mackenzie Eddy said she came to the event to try to get a better understanding of homelessness.

"I have always had money," Eddy said. "My family is middle class and from the suburbs, so I haven't encountered many homeless people."

Howell freshman Brittany Schepak said she came to challenge herself.

"(This experience) has made me grateful for what I have and my living situation," Schepak said.

Charnae Sanders, Southfield junior and special events coordinator for the volunteer center, said that she thinks the event went well, despite the weather.

"A lot of students came to support an issue that is prominent in our community," Sanders said. "We can't determine the weather, but based on the number of students who stayed, it shows this event should go on."

VanEvery asked other participants to envision what it's like to be homeless while taking part of the event.


"Like myself, some people are embarrassed to share this bit of themselves," VanEvery said. "This is my fifth time sharing my story to the CMU community, and even now, there is a little lump in my throat of what everyone is thinking when I am speaking."

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