Dans la Rue – The Concordian

Concordia students raise funds for Montreal homeless shelters

A group of executives from the Commerce and Administration Students’ Association (CASA) and a group of JMSB students braved the March 14 snowstorm by sleeping outside hoping to raise awareness of the homeless people living in Montreal who face these winter conditions every year.

As part of the annual 5 Days for the Homeless campaign, participants slept on the corner of De Maisonneuve Boulevard and Mackay street in sleeping bags during the winter storm that dumped more than 35 cm of snow on the downtown region. The students relied solely on the generosity of the downtown community between March 12 and 17, using the money they raised on the streets for food.

“We feel that five days out of our lifetime is not very much,” said Émilie Leduc, the executive vice-president of CASA, who slept outside all five nights for the cause. “We bring the bare necessities such as a backpack, an extra layer of clothes, a water bottle—no money and no phone,” Leduc added. “We live off of donations and from the generosity of the community.”

This winter marked Concordia’s 9th edition of 5 Days for the Homeless.

Since 2008, the Concordia group has helped raise more than $300,000 for local homeless charities.

This year, the team raised $11,1262.80 for the Dans la Rue and Chez Doris homeless centres, which cater to the Montreal downtown community, said LeDuc. Chez Doris is a day centre for women in need, which provides meals and basic services, LeDuc explained. “Chez Doris has a number of volunteers and services which help get these women back on their feet,” she said.

Dans la Rue, which was founded by Father Emmett Johns, or “Pops,” in 1988, caters to homeless and at-risk youth between the ages of 12 and 25 in the greater Montreal area.

“It was very eye-opening,” said Evan Pitchie, the CASA JMSB president.

“We have the option of going home when things get tough, but not everyone has that same opportunity,” Pitchie added.

During the storm, between 2:30 a.m. to 4:30 a.m., Pitchie said the team helped individuals who were stuck in their cars. “It was good exercise to keep us warm, and helped us raise even more donations for the shelters.”

“A lot of people assume that sleeping outside in the cold is the hard part, but what is most difficult for many people living on the street is the lack of social and human interaction,” Leduc explained. “They are often at the mercy of strangers and rely on our generosity—they are often ignored or avoided by people crossing the street to distance themselves.”

The 5 Days for the Homeless campaign was first introduced by the University of Alberta’s School of Business in 2005, and has since been undertaken by other universities across Canada, Leduc said. She added that Josh Redler, a CASA executive, was the one who brought the campaign to Concordia nine years ago.

This year, the 5 Days for the Homeless opening ceremony was hosted at McGill University—the two schools take turns each year hosting the event’s opening ceremony. This year’s event was organized by Émilie LeDuc, Mackenzie Murray and Nour Hanna, all CASA JMSB executives, along with 13 other JMSB CASA executives.

“The issue of homelessness in youth is very important to us,” said Murray. “We want to address this problem and raise awareness and funds to help those who are facing this reality.”

The most popular programs at Dans la Rue are their education and employment services, said Michelle LeDonne, a development adviser at Dans la Rue. “We offer several different employment opportunities for youth in Montreal, such as an alternative high school on-site and funds for students attending CEGEP.”

“Dans la Rue has an RV van which goes out five days a week to provide individuals living on the street a warm spot, a meal and offer them assistance on mental health, healthcare or information about our day centres,” LeDonne explained.

The van visited the Concordia group during the storm on last Tuesday, offering the students food and shelter, Leduc said.

“We are touched to have this partnership with Concordia and their motivation for the cause,” LeDonne said.

For anyone who would like to donate clothing, food or money to the cause can visit their website.

For the sixth consecutive year, Concordia University students are camping out on the corner of de Maisonneuve Blvd. and Mackay St. for the 5 Days for the Homeless campaign.

The campaign, which began on March 10 and will continue until March 15, is an event where students and volunteers sleep on the streets with no food or shelter to raise awareness for the homeless. All proceeds go to Dans la Rue, a Montreal-based organization serving youth living on the streets and youth at risk.

Other universities that take part in the campaign in Montreal are Université du Québec à Montréal, HEC Montreal, McGill University and Université de Montréal.

Over 25 universities are participating this year and the entire campaign has raised over $985,000 for various Canadian organizations dedicated to helping those in need.

Concordia’s first campaign started in 2008 when organizer and former John Molson School of Business graduate Josh Redler started 5 Days for the Homeless after hearing about it at the University of Alberta in 2005. In their first year, they camped outside Concordia with a few other people and, since then, the campaign has grown every year since.

“If you can’t help your community then how do you expect to help others around the world?” Redler said. “A lot of people try to have a blind eye when they’re walking past homeless people, thinking they’re worthless or not trying but we’re trying to change that perspective.”

The campaign’s goal this year is $30,000 and by the end of Monday, they raised $1,480. According to Redler, Concordia’s campaign has raised more than $30,000 in most previous years, except for last year.

“The student strike got in our way last year,” Redler explained. “We rely on the downtown campus to have people to come out to donate, but most people didn’t want to come out during strikes.”

Eric Wooboble, a student at Dawson College, will be doing the campaign for his third time and hopes to stay all five nights.

“I think this event reminds the students through experiential learning that there are people who need help in our communities too and not to forget about them,” Wooboble said.

While volunteers are not required to stay the five consecutive days, Redler explains that even one night outside can change the perspective of the homeless community.

“The first night is always the hardest,” Redler said. “You hear noises, you’re out of your element and even though we have security sponsored by Concordia, we know anything can still happen and that stays in our head the whole night.”

In 2011, the campaign had 45 people who volunteered to sleep outside. This year, Redler predicts 15 full-time sleepovers with 10 additional different people per night.

Rose Wangechi, alumni officer in charge of student programs at the advancement and alumni relations office, said she will also be donating. “This is one of the most outstanding events held on campus by our generous students,” she said. “I’ve seen the project grow into this worldwide event, from the first day [Redler] and his friend first told me about it. Simply remarkable.”

In 2009, Member of Parliament Justin Trudeau came out to support the cause and former Montreal Canadiens hockey player Georges Laraque will also be joining for one night this year. Laraque also volunteered during 2011 and 2012.

“This campaign can open people’s eyes,” Redler said. “And it can make homeless people seem less of a scary thing and that they’re just people too and that they need some help.”

Following the campaign, people are still welcomed to donate their money online at 5days.ca under the Concordia University section.