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Annual sleep out brings homelessness issue to forefront

By Mathew Plamondon - Staff Writer | Sep 22, 2019

NASHUA – The United Way of Greater Nashua brought members of the community together once again to raise awareness and funds to fight homelessness during its United We Sleep event at Nashua Community College Friday and Saturday.

As homelessness numbers have increase over the last few years – with a rise from 700 individuals in Hillsborough County in 2016 to 715 individuals in 2018 – the United Way remains on the front lines of this battle.

During the event, those gathered on the front lawn of the college’s campus grabbed boxes provided by the United Way and built up a city of cardboard shelters where they braved the open air, the unfiltered noise of the all-too-close Amherst Street traffic and got what may only be seen as sample of what a truly displaced individual deals with on a nightly basis.

“I don’t think there is ever going to be a night where we do this and somebody is going to come away from the experience knowing what it feels like to be homeless,” said Mike Apfelberg, the nonprofit’s executive director. Sometimes people, I think, have an expectation level of that’s what we’re doing, and that’s not what we’re doing.”

While the event is geared at having one night of a homelessness person’s struggles, Apfelberg said the whole idea is two pronged, with one aspect raising awareness and the other aimed at opening the eyes and hearts of those who chose to participate in the sleep out, giving them empathy toward those who struggle with the real-life hardships of not having housing.

“The idea of the sleeping in a box outside on a busy street is a couple things,” he said. “One, it’s to make a statement in our community that this is an issue and that we really need to come together and address it. The second thing is, I think from a purely pedagogical perspective, (is) how people learn, I think a little bit of misery opens your heart, a little bit of suffering, it’s a heck of a lot more impactful than sitting in a classroom and hearing a lecture.”

Prior to taking to their cardboard shelters, sleep-out participants also took part in two different programs and a dinner of chicken noodle soup, peanut butter and jelly or bologna and cheese sandwiches.

Participants heard from members of the community who have had first-hand experiences dealing with homelessness.

Those speakers were Erin Fedas, who through Marguerite’s Place has been able to find housing in that organizations condos after graduating from their transitional housing program; and Ashley Martel, who has successfully went from being shelter insecure to buying a home with her husband after receiving help from Family Promise’s Anne-Marie House in Hudson.

After hearing from the two successful women, the participants ate dinner and moved onto a round-robin of three separate discussions where they were informed about more in-depth issues contributing to homelessness.

One group featured Bobbi Bagley, of Nashua Public Health, Cynthia Whitaker, of Greater Nashua Mental Health and Amy Muscott, of Bridges, who facilitated the discussion about adverse childhood experiences that lead to homelessness.

A third panel was facilitated by Scott Slattery, of Greater Nashua Habitat for Humanity, Robert Tourigny, of NeighborWorks Southern New Hampshire and Pam Wellman, of Family Promise, where participants talked about programs that exist to transition people out of homelessness and ultimately toward housing security.

The final group was led by Micheal Reinke, of the Nashua Soup Kitchen and Shelter, and Jenn Morton from End 68 Hours of Hunger, both who touched upon food insecurities in the community and how they coincide with housing and homelessness.

Apfelberg said the sleep out with all of its programs and speakers, serves as an in-depth look into many of the different aspects that surround homelessness.

“It’s touching on many different facets of housing security and poverty,” he said. “It’s one big topic.”

As one of the three major fundraisers for the United Way – the others being the Blizzard Blast and the Live United Over the Edge – the organization’s goal is to raise $70,000. As of Saturday, more than $53,000 had been raised.

Mathew Plamondon can be reached at 594-1244 or mplamondon@nashuatelegraph.com, @telegraph_MatP.

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