The funds raised by the Sleep Out movement keep the doors open and the lights on for young people overcoming homelessness at Covenant House Vancouver 24/7/365.

This isn’t a night of pretending. It's an opportunity to shine a light on the youth homelessness crisis and raise critical funds that will shelter and support young people on their journeys to independence.

It is also a night of solidarity, education, and advocacy; a chance to hear directly from current and former residents and gain a deeper understanding about the issues surrounding homelessness.

Sleep Out is a night of solidarity to grow awareness and raise funds from a community of people who may not have previously turned their attention towards the youth homelessness crisis.

It’s also a fundraiser, with every dollar raised going directly to Covenant House Vancouver, helping us keep our doors open for young people who are at-risk or experiencing homelessness.

On any given night there are 500-1000 young people facing homelessness in our community. Our goal is to reach more young people; offer them a safe place to turn, where they are loved unconditionally and respected absolutely; and provide them with services that put them on a path towards independence and self-sufficiency.

Become a champion and join a group of dynamic professionals and community members helping young people experiencing homelessness. We encourage individuals and teams of people who are comfortable reaching out to their networks and advocating for youth in need.

Please note, to ensure our youth (aged 16-24) can maintain full confidentiality amongst their peers, you must be at least 25 years of age to participate in Sleep Out: Champions Edition.

Each participant will give up the comforts of their bed for one night to provide many nights of safety at Covenant House Vancouver.

The night will begin with an evening program, featuring panels from Covenant House Vancouver staff and youth, and the opportunity to tour our facilities and learn about our programs.

Participants will then head outside to begin the Sleep Out in the alleyway behind our 1280 and 1302 Seymour Street locations. All participants will be provided with a sleeping bag, piece of cardboard and a toque, and Covenant House Vancouver staff will be present throughout the night.

Participants are challenged to each raise $2,000 in critical funds for Covenant House Vancouver. All funds raised for Sleep Out: Champions Edition directly support our mental health programming.

All participants are required to fundraise. Fundraising is made easy with your own personal fundraising page and fundraising tools to reach out to your networks.

From the moment you register, the Sleep Out team is available to help you. Check out our Fundraising Toolkit and Social Media Guide for content, images, and ideas to help kickstart your campaign. In the weeks leading up to the event, you will also receive emails with fundraising tips, copy-and-paste content and information to help you.

All funds raised for Sleep Out: Champions Edition directly support mental health programming at Covenant House Vancouver.

Register online, or contact the Sleep Out Team at sleepout@covenanthousebc.org.

All participants make a commitment to raising funds for youth experiencing homelessness. Fundraising is made easy by way of your own personal fundraising page where friends and family can donate to your Sleep Out campaign. Once you complete your registration, you’ll gain access to your online personal fundraising page.

You will receive fundraising tools which include tips, email templates, and social media content to help you along the way. We ask that you approach the event with an open heart and a willingness to work hard to raise critical funds for the young people at Covenant House Vancouver.

All funds raised will go directly towards our mental health programming.

The best way to donate is online.

Each participant will have their own online fundraising page where they can direct their supporters to make a donation. The online system makes collecting donations easy, receipting instantaneous, goal tracking automatic, and minimises administration costs for Covenant House.

Cash or cheque donations can also be sent to:

Cheques should be made payable to Covenant House Vancouver and include the name of the Sleep Out participant they are intended to support.

Tax receipts for online gifts will automatically be sent to the donor via email within minutes of placing the donation. Cash and cheque donations will be receipted and mailed to the donor within 4 weeks of the gift being received by Covenant House Vancouver.