Youth Homelessness | Everyone Deserves a Safe Place to Sleep

0:01 Greetings and welcome to real men. Feel I'm your host, Andy Grant. You can visit the Andy Grant.com to explore my speaking coaching healing and authoring work that name again. Is the Andy Grant.com when I was younger between high school and college. I was a mess. I had made multiple suicide attempts. I was in and out of Mental Hospitals. Not really willing to be helped yet. Just telling people enough to get them to leave me alone. At one point, I left the hospital against medical advice because I had tickets to see Motley Crue and I figured if I was alive, I was going to that fucking show. There's a longer tail about how I got home and the reaction of friends and family, but the net result was that I was kicked out of my house and I was homeless.

0:56 Now I luckily had neighbors who gave me a couch for a few days while I figured shit out. So I never did have to live on the streets but I really thought that might be what happened. Through college and Beyond friends. And I would sometimes sleep in city parks or hotels stairwells while we're traveling because we were broke, or more accurately. We wanted to spend money on booze, not a bed but that had the sense of adventure and playfulness. That is nothing like true homelessness. I've also spent many nights on Airport floors, and in cars by choice, as opposed to economic necessity.

1:41 You know, I first started shaving my head at around age 27 because I was planning to move from Boston to Los Angeles so that I could work on Film Production and I figured with a shave head, it would be much less noticeable that I was living in my car. Which was my plan, but I met a woman who would go on to become my wife. So that move and living out of the car, never came to be. I share these stories because I want to talk about homelessness, specifically, youth, homelessness. And I don't just want to talk about it. I'm going to do something about it and let you know how easily you can as well. In the United States, 4.2 million. Young people will face homelessness this year alone. Kids can end up on the streets because their home isn't safe or they're battling addiction depression. Any Mental Health Challenge?

2:40 The living on the streets doesn't help any of that. Homelessness can lead to worse, addictions sex trafficking and suicide. Covenant House is a charitable organization that I've donated 24 years, they Empower young people to overcome homelessness by providing them with safe housing, food and clothing, and Relentless support. Since 1972, Covenant House has opened its doors to over one and a half million young. People experiencing homelessness and trafficking one youth at a time. That's half a century of believing in Youth and nurturing their promise talents and courage.

3:28 They are in 34 cities across six countries, rescuing and protecting homeless youth on average. Covenant House shelters, over 2,000 kids, each night and cares for over nine thousand Youth and their residential programs. The coolest thing is that no one is ever turned away without support of some kind and this services and programs are available at no cost. You can learn more at covenant House dot-org. Perhaps you're wondering, why is he talking about Covenant House so much? Because, For the First Time, I am an active participant in their annual fundraiser, the sleepout sleep out happens.

4:13 November 17th around the world, people give up their beds for one night to raise money to get more kids off of a street for good, Covenant House, and visions and works toward a world where every young person has a safe place to sleep and the love. Of respect and support they deserve and need to thrive. Sleep out is not about pretending to be homeless, we sleep out so that homeless kids don't have to when you sleep out, you're not just raising funds and awareness. You're showing these young people that you care and that you are committed to their future. So please consider donating to my sleep out, at sleep out dot org, slash participant.

5:00 /Nd Grant, you can also find me on the sleepout dot-org home page by searching for my name. I'm a quarter of the way to my five thousand dollar goal right now, I'm talking about this because a planned guests had to cancel at the last minute. Today is October. 7th, and moments ago, I discovered that October 10th is World homeless day, Day. So this is very synchronistic and there is still time for you to join sleep out and give up your bed for one night, November, 17th, to ensure that youth facing homelessness can safely sleep at covenant house, they can access safe shelter, nourishing food, clean clothing, and essential services, like job, training, education, Healthcare mental health, counseling and legal aid. All the tools that are needed.

5:53 Needed to build Futures free from homelessness. Sleep out is our chance to shine a light on the youth, homelessness crisis and raise critical funds. That helps Covenant House provide young people with a round-the-clock support the awareness and funds raised translate to things like new sheets, computers meals, best-in-class care for youth, overcoming homelessness. Again, please visit sleepout dot-org. Also donate to me at sleep out dot org, slash participant /. Andy Grant, I shouldn't say me your, your I'm raising money in their name, you're not giving anything to me. And you can also find me on the sleepout or home page just by searching for my name. For the past two years.

6:38 Sleep has been virtual many people slept on their own porches or in their yards but this year teams can finally gather and share in this experience on November. 17th. Please do consider sleeping out yourself. No, I have not done anything like this since I think I was in the seventh grade when I needed a walkathon for Ms. Not that I had a bad experience. I just never did this again but know why. But uh, you know, it's getting to be fun and enjoyment of meaning. Great teams. Meet a lot of cool people learning about the cause more, so give yourself that gift. Give yourself that gift by donating to me or other sleepers or deciding to sleep up yourself, and raise some money too, right? Right, cool, wherever you're discovering real men. Feel, please, like subscribe, follow comment, and share. And until next time be good to yourself.