Concordia University Students Go Homeless

Their sacrifices are part of the national 5 Days for the Homeless event.

Students from Concordia University are giving up a lot to raise awareness and money for the area’s homeless – Nearly Everything.

For 5 days, they will simulate the living conditions Canada’s homeless have to face every day. No hot meals, no cell phones, no warm showers. Instead, they will sleep on the cold pavement and have to panhandle for food and money.

Their sacrifices are part of the national 5 Days for the Homeless event, which takes place across the country this week until Friday.

Students will sleep (rain, snow or shine) outside the Henry F. Hall Building at Mackay Street and De Maisonneuve Boulevard. They will still go to classes, but won’t be allowed to buy any food or drinks while inside the buildings. They will have to get by on the generosity of what people donate to them.

Concordia University has raised over $100,000 for this event over the last four years and hope to raise $35,000 this year. This year, they will also join forces with teams from HEC Montréal, McGill University and the Université du Québec à Montréal.

Student Vanessa Manco’s journey onto the streets is being captured by Journalism student Michel Boyer’s video camera, as she moves from a cozy apartment into a cardboard box,

Schools mentioned: Concordia University, HEC Montréal, McGill University, Université du Québec à Montréal