By Brandi Watters, Herald Bulletin Staff Writer
ANDERSON — Some sleep under bridges. Others build tent cities in isolated wooded areas.
The local homeless population is often left with no choice but to sleep outside, and on Friday, citizens will experience what it’s like to sleep under the stars.
In hopes of raising awareness to the cause of homelessness in the local community, the Christian Center and Alternatives, Inc. have joined forces to coordinate Reality Check: Confronting Homelessness.
The event, which begins Friday at 4 p.m., allows everyday citizens to sleep outside in boxes and in tents as a way to experience a taste of homelessness.
“Our main goal is to bring awareness to what local homelessness looks like,” the Christian Center’s Daniel Wohlberg said Monday.
Wohlberg will be sleeping in a box Friday night along with many others who’ve signed up for the event.
Christy Baysinger of Alternatives, Inc. said Anderson Mayor Kris Ockomon is registered to sleep in a cardboard box for the event.
Rep. Terri Austin, D-Anderson, is also expected to stay the night.
More than 100 participants have registered for the event, which will take place in the green space once defined as the Scatterfield Road business park in the 2900 block of South Scatterfield Road.
The open space will be dotted with homes made from cardboard boxes and tents pitched near barrel fires meant to simulate the experience of homelessness.
Wohlberg said the event also will include a chili-supper soup line in which participants are served by the actual homeless individuals who utilize the Christian Center and Alternatives, Inc.
Locally, the Christian Center serves homeless adult men while Alternatives serves women and children.
About 60 men sleep in the Christian Center homeless shelter each night, Wohlberg said.
Official numbers from Alternatives were not available Tuesday, but Wohlberg said local aid organizations have previously estimated that on any given night, there are 220 local people without a home.
Jimmie Schuster is one of them. The 33-year-old became homeless three years ago when his alcoholism alienated him from family members in Indianapolis.
On his first night of homelessness, Schuster slept under an Indianapolis bridge.
Within a few days, he learned about opportunities at the Christian Center and used what little money he had left to buy a bus ticket to Anderson.
He’s been at the shelter for three years, and celebrated his third year of sobriety this year.
He is currently enrolled in college pursuing a business management degree and will graduate next summer, he said.
Schuster’s story is one of those expected to be told during the reality check event Friday.
Schuster said spending those nights sleeping under a bridge helped him in his recovery from alcoholism. “You have to hit your lowest point before you can get the help you need.”
Although one night under the stars will not give participants the full experience of being homeless, Schuster is encouraged by the effort.
“You’re not going to experience homelessness until you’re actually homeless ... it’ll just give them the gist of it.”
Contact Brandi Watters 640-4847, brandi.watters@heraldbulletin.com
How to participate
Registration: 4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Friday, 2900 block of South Scatterfield Road, Anderson.
Cost: $25 per tent, $10 per box
Schedule
4 p.m. to 6 p.m. Registration and camp set-up
6 p.m. Cardboard home-building competition
7 p.m. Homelessness testimonials and speakers scheduled
7 a.m. Breakfast and closing ceremonies
