Oakton Students Raise Awareness for Homelessness March 7-8

(Feb. 26, 2019) What’s it like to be homeless? Over 50 Oakton Community College students will find out when they partake in the “Urban Homeless Experience” Thursday, March 7 - Friday, March 8, at the courtyard of the Des Plaines campus, 1600 E. Golf Road.

Hosted by Oakton’s Habitat for Humanity Campus Chapter, Student Services and the sociology class Social Problems, students will call attention to homelessness and disaster by filling the courtyard with makeshift shanties built from discarded materials.

“This project will allow Oakton students to understand the struggles many people in our society face on a daily basis,” says Oakton sociology lecture Cheryl Thayer, who also is the Habitat Chapter faculty advisor. “There’s no better way to gain real perspective on homelessness than experiencing it, even if it’s only for a short period of time.”

The shelters will be constructed noon to 4 p.m. Sunday, March 3, and occupied from 6 p.m. Thursday, March 7, until 9 a.m., March 8. Throughout the week, collection cans will be assigned to each shelter to raise donations for the Habitat for Humanity Club. Outside the shelters, posters will provide information about the homeless and other related social problems.

During the sleepover, students will also organize a “soup kitchen” by preparing a snacks and breakfast for participants. After the breakfast, students will discuss their experiences.

The public is encouraged to make contributions to Oakton Community College Habitat for Humanity with cash or checks dropped off at the Office of Student Life at either campus or deposited in the collection cans in front of the shelters.

For questions or to find out more about making a donation, contact habitat@oakton.edu.