Res-Life host event for homeless

Last Thursday on October 10^th most students were unaware that the day was coined as World Homeless Day around the country but the Southern University of Residential Life was well aware of the day.
The Department of Residential Life hosted a “Sleep in a Box” event in the Circle last Thursday in attempt to raise money for the homeless in the Baton Rouge Area.
The event started at 7 p.m. and ended at 12 a.m., and had a live DJ playing music throughout the night along with Breakfast at 10 p.m., a screening of the popular show “Scandal” at 9 p.m., a speaker from a Homeless Shelter in Baton Rouge, and box decoration contest.
The decoration contest cost students five dollars to participate, and the boxes and paint were supplied. Donations were being accepted throughout the night by Residential Assistants who wore clothing cut out of boxes they made themselves.  
All the residential assistants from each dorm had to participate in the event and contest and had to collect at least 50 dollars. 
Tracy Delahoussaye, a Nursing Major from New Libera, works as a RA in the University Apartments, and says that her colleagues and herself came up with the idea from seeing other schools participate and wanted to make students on Southern’s campus aware that being homeless can happen to anybody.
“When I was younger my parents got a divorce and my mom and I and my brothers spent the night in a homeless shelter,” Delahoussaye said. “I kind of know what its like to be homeless so I felt like why not give back to the homeless.”
According to documentation by the National Alliance to End Homelessness in 2012 633,782 people were experiencing homelessness, in Louisiana 17 percent of the population is homeless.
Ashlynn James a Senior agricultural science major from Lake Providence is also an RA in the University Apartments, decorated a house for the contest.
“ It was pretty cool, it gave me an opportunity to show off my little creative side,” James said. “It was actually therapy, especially during midterms it gave me an opportunity to think about something else other than school.”
James felt that this event will show students the importance of staying in school and this isn’t anything that they would want to experience.
“For me students have the phrase ‘I’m not about that life’ well this basically shows you how rough it is the only place some homeless people have to lay on other than a concrete floor is the card board box,” James said. 
Delahoussaye was optimistic about the event becoming something that can be done on the annual basis according to Abraham, because of the success the plans are being made to make the event annual.
“The event was a success,” Traice Abraham Director of Housing said. “We made around 800 or 900 dollars from the event and the money will go towards supplies for the homeless shelter.