A Report from "A Sleep in the Park" 2007 On June 15, 2007, members of the Lead Hampton Roads Class of 2007 (read more about the class: CLICK HERE) met in Town Point Park in Norfolk for the first ever “A Sleep in the Park – Campout for the Homeless.”  It was the central event for our class project to raise awareness about the plight of the homeless in our region and raise funds in support of innovative solutions in place now. (View Event Photo Gallery: CLICK HERE)   More than 50 people gathered at 7pm to start the event, including members of the class, friends and family members, and representatives from Norfolk, Virginia Beach, and several organizations such as Virginia Supportive Housing, The Planning Council and others.  Also in the crowd were several people from the community, some who came to stay with us and others who just came to show their support, but all made a donation to the cause.   We were greeted by Mayor Paul Fraim. He told us about  Norfolk’s admirable goal of ending homelessness and expressed thanked us for our efforts and for the business community getting involved in the movement.   Our class spokesperson Mike Morisi reminded the group of why we chose Gosnold and the Virginia Supportive housing program as our project beneficiaries (read more about Gosnold: CLICK HERE) after visiting the shelter and experiencing the hops and opportunity it represented.  He also reminded us that in America, about 60% of us are only one or two months pay away from being in need of such assistance.   April Woodard from Inside addition spoke to the assembled crowd about the three days she spent on the streets of New York for a documentary as part of her program Inside Edition.  “I was ashamed,” she said as she recalled how in the past she had looked and walked away from homeless people in the  past, making assumptions about who they were and why they were there. (Read more about April: CLICK HERE)   Katie Kitchen, who heads up Norfolk’s program to end homelessness,  let the group in am exercise designed to give us some insight about the plight of people on the streets and those struggling day to day for shelter.  For the next hour we bounced around from agency to organization in an effort to solve scenarios and find housing.  We then shared our insights into the experience.   But by far the most emotional time spent was listening to some of our other guests, both invited and unexpected.  These were homeless and former homeless individuals who came out because they heard about the program and share their experiences.   We heard form people who had been faced with one bad break or another that forced them out of work, out of shelter and into a life of fear and uncertainty.  We met some who were working, but the cost of housing remained elusive.  One family with their small child came by just looking for some guidance.  We shared with our new friends something to eat and / or a cold drink, we listened, and for a few, Ms. Kitchen was able to find shelter for the night and make appointments with services in the morning.   So, did we really experience what it’s like to be homeless?   Well, the air was cold and damp, the ground was hard, the streets were loud and the night was long.  But no, of course we didn’t.   Hopefully what we did was raise some consciousness about the problem and help to energize the efforts being made throughout the region.    Thank you to those who have supported our project and to those of you who continue to donate (CLICK TO DONATE NOW).   Please remember - homelessness is not unsolvable, it’s unacceptable.