Georgetown Peace Action was not the only group of students sleeping outside of the White Gravenor Building this Friday. As part of “Just One Day,” a weekend event geared at increasing awareness about homelessness, another camp-out was organized as the first of several scheduled events, including a panel of individuals who have experienced homelessness, film discussions and a speech by a policy advocate on the lack of affordable housing.

Despite being named “Just One Day,” the schedule, which was organized and sponsored by several members of Hoya Outreach Programs and Education, extended through most of Friday and Saturday. The program began with an assembly on Friday night.

The assembly then broke into smaller groups and organized the administrative aspects of the evening such as the storing of the sleeping bags, discussing the fasting process and the distribution of journals.

This was immediately followed by the “Faces of Homelessness” panel, where four people: David Harris, Cheryl Barnes, Fred Savoy and Donald Whitehead, all of whom had experienced or were currently experiencing homelessness, discussed their personal stories and then engaged in small group discussions.

“They spoke of the stereotypes confronting homeless people, their current situation and the circumstances of their life,” said Jane Li (SFS ’06), a member of the planning committee for the Just One Day Poverty Awareness Experience. “Many participants found that this panel was one of the most enlightening and educational experiences of the whole weekend.”

The group then watched the film God Bless the Child, a movie about how homelessness affects families throughout society, particularly the children in those families. The students wrote journal entries based on the scenes of the film and the stories told during the “Faces of Homelessness” panel.

After a night of rest in sleeping bags placed on cardboard boxes in front of White Gravenor, the program reconvened with conversations about fasting and service projects around the District. “Though we understood that we were not simulating the act of being homeless, the intent was to gain a better understanding and awareness of the harshness of the lifestyle,” said Li.

Shanthi Manian (SFS ’06), a participant in the weekend awareness event, said she enjoyed the camp-out on White Gravenor because of what she had learned from it. “It was really enlightening,” Manian said. “I had my sleeping bag and I was warm that night, but after you hear about people sleeping on the streets and then you actually hear these people’s stories, it really brings the point home.”

Kathleen Barr, policy advocate for the National Student Campaign Against Hunger and Homelessness, then gave a speech about affordable housing for the poor and worked on a letter advocacy campaign with students. Barr spoke about housing both in Washington, D.C., and in the greater United States, emphasizing that there is a serious lack of affordable housing in all cities. “The fact is that a person earning minimum wage cannot afford housing in any major city,” Li said. The students later wrote letters to their respective congressmen asking them to support HR1103, a bill that would generate more affordable housing nationwide.

After having spent time discussing the problems of homelessness and hunger, a group of roughly 40 listened to a panel on solutions to end homelessness. Panel members ranged from experts on national positions to Washington policy workers. Members included Kirsten Lodal of National Student Partnerships, Jason King of Turning the Page, Brad Paul of the National Coalition for the Homeless and Stephanie Davis of the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless. Joe Truglio (COL ’03), one of the founding members of H.O.P.E., moderated the event. “Each person there was representing a different outreach organization, and they were each talking about their different organizations and how they could each attack the policy side and the individual action side of the problems against homelessness,” said Megan Liddle (SFS ’06), one of the organizers of the event.

“What I really liked about it [the speaker panel] was that it was interesting to hear about why each person got motivated and interested in each of their organizations. A lot

of the speakers are directors or founding members of their organizations,” said Logan Kendall (SFS ’06), another organizer of “Just One Day.”It was really inspiring to find out why they felt very passionate about what they were doing.”

After some final discussions and reflections, the students enjoyed something that many homeless people do not enjoy very often – a “light meal.”

As indicated in the mission statement of “Just One Day,” the event, which organizers hope will become an annual one, is centered on “trying to improve our understanding of those who struggle daily against social isolation and material deprivation.” Given the success of this event, the organizers from HOPE have already begun brainstorming for another function this fall in conjunction with Hunger and Homeless Week

“While each person was affected by the events differently, overall participants gained a better understanding and awareness of housing and homelessness issues,” Li said. “People are more apt to be more empathetic, understanding and aware.”