Covenant House gears up for their next Sleep Out

Looking to party with a purpose? Head over to Yards Brewery tomorrow night for the Yards Social hosted by Covenant House Pennsylvania, which runs from 7 p.m. to 10 p.m.

For $25, guests will enjoy an open bar and light refreshments as well as learn more about Covenant House’s annual Sleep Out: Young Professionals Edition, which will take place on Friday, March 23.

Young professionals will sleep outside for a night to raise money for Covenant House Pennsylvania, a nonprofit dedicated to serving runaway, homeless and trafficked youth in the Philadelphia area.

“The young people we serve have endured significant tragedies,” says executive director,  John Ducoff. “They’ve run away to escape abuse, neglect, violence and exploitation. We have a 76-bed emergency housing program that’s open 24-7, 365 days a year. Unlike other programs, we don’t have eligibility criteria. We welcome them in without question or cost.”

Over 3.5 million kids face homelessness in the United States and in Philadelphia, that number is disproportionately high.

“Philadelphia has a disproportionate number of young people experiencing homelessness,” Ducoff says. “Our poverty rate is 25% — the largest of all major U.S. cities.”

Covenant House Pennsylvania is the largest agency exclusively dedicated to serving homeless youth in Philadelphia and most of their operating budget comes from fundraising initiatives like the Sleep Out.

“As an agency we are 93% privately funded. We need to raise nearly our entire operating budget to keep the doors open and the lights on,” Ducoff reveals.

You can learn more about the Sleep Out: Young Professionals Edition by going to the Yards Social tomorrow or by visiting their website.