Students from Westchester brave the elements to bring awareness to homelessness

HARTSDALE, NY (PIX11) — Students at Maria Regina High School in Hartsdale are spending the night in makeshift cardboard shelters to experience what it means to be homeless.

They are doing this in hopes of raising awareness of the issue that impacts more than a thousand people in Westchester County daily. 

Students built a “cardboard box city” in the school’s gym Friday that they planned to take outside to sleep outdoors overnight, in an effort to experience the hardships that the homeless community faces every day.

“We’re raising awareness of what it is to be homeless in one night and to be in solidarity, that keyword,” said Campus Minister Dr. Valerie Torres who was overseeing the event. “That we’re uniting. They’re part of us, we’re part of them.”

Steady rain delayed plans to set up shop outdoors, but organizers said teens would brave the crisp fall air for 12 hours into the morning once the rain subsided. 

“Once we get the opportunity to sleep outside we’re fully going to know how it feels to just be in the cold, be in the wet, be in the rain and some people have to do this every single day and they don’t have a choice,” said Amber Korcz who participated in the event for the first time. 

Jennifer Pierz was one of several students missing the warmth and comfort of her home for the third year in a row.

“There are so many people who aren’t as lucky as we are and we’re here freezing, even with jackets and mittens, and there are people who don’t even have that so we’re just incredibly privileged and even doing something like this just raises awareness,” said Pierz. 

According to homelessshelterdirectory.org, a study from 2019 showed that there were 1,812 unhoused New Yorkers in Westchester County at the time.

The event is part of the school’s 22nd annual Cardboard Box City campaign aimed at giving students a small glimpse into the reality of life on the streets, while fostering the need to eradicate poverty and homelessness.

“Now that we see people actually do need help then I think we should have more fundraisers and give back to the community as much as we can,” said Isabella Caamano, a junior at the school. 

While the event was aimed at raising awareness, the school also has several events planned throughout the year giving back to those in need as part of their larger mission to tackle homelessness in the area.