triOS Community Services Worker Students Go Homeless

Homelessness is a problem that sometimes gets overlooked in a suburban community.

A group of Community Services Worker students from triOS College temporarily went without the heat and comfort of home, so other people won’t have to.

More than 30 students and staff from the triOS College’s Mississauga and Brampton campuses took part in the school’s fourth annual sleep-a-thon to raise funds and awareness to help the local homelessness problem.

“I wanted to participate in the event to see what it’s actually like to be homeless,” said student Brenda Dollain in an interview with The Mississauga News.

“It was a bit easier for us because we were surrounded by our friends, had several blankets and lots of coffee and snacks. I think that real homeless people struggle way more than we did.”

Their efforts raised $1,500 for the Salvation Army. They also collected three bins of food and 20 backpacks full of school supplies to help local families.

“Homelessness is a problem that sometimes gets overlooked in a suburban community, but we are trying to give the community a better understanding,” said Wendy Vanderstoep, faculty head of the Addiction Worker program.

Similar programs have been run in other parts of Canada. Last Spring, students at Concordia University slept on the streets of Montreal to help the area’s homeless.

Schools mentioned: triOS College and Concordia University