Students and faculty at DePaul University spent a night sleeping on the streets of Chicago in solidarity with the poor, raising more than $30,000 to support the homeless. The Sleep Out was part of a global initiative to raise awareness of the increasing homelessness problem in the United States and around the world. The president of DePaul, Dr. A. Gabriel Esteban, and his wife joined the students in the cold Chicago winter.
“The spirit of the Vincentian Family worldwide has the breadth and reach to impact homelessness in every part of the globe, and is part of the unifying vision of the Congregation of the Mission Western Province.”
There are an estimated half-million homeless people in America, and nearly one-third of those are unsheltered.
In the spirit of St. Vincent de Paul, the Global Sleep Out project is spearheaded by DePaul USA in seven cities. Homelessness is one of the fastest growing signs of poverty, addiction and mental illness in our country.
For decades, the problem has been overlooked, but the quickly expanding presence of “tent cities” in many American communities has made the homeless more visible to many.
The call to serve the poor is as urgent as it was in the time of St. Vincent. “Let us humble ourselves and give thanks to the Eternal Father who has called us to work in . . . preaching the Good News to the poor.” (Congregation of the Mission Conference, December 6, 1658).
Unifying vision of FAMVIN
The spirit of the Vincentian Family worldwide has the breadth and reach to impact homelessness in every part of the globe, and is part of the unifying vision of the Congregation of
the Mission Western Province.
The Vincentians have created an international alliance on homelessness to seek solutions and prayerful support for those least among us.