About Public Sleeping Day

DESCRIPTION:

Public Sleeping Day could be cast as a silly holiday that simply makes fun of people who fall asleep in public. Or, this day can be used to focus attention on a very serious problem: homelessness. Since there is no sponsor or event originator, it is really up to you on how you want to mark it.

Personal note from Laura:
I lived in Los Angeles until July 2014 where 1 in 14 people are homeless. The city has the dubious distinction of having the largest homeless population in the United States.

Like a lot of people, I got hit hard with the Great Recession and lost everything, having broken up with my fiancé, left my job for an opportunity overseas and returned just as everything crashed. It was so bad that at three times between November 2008 and April 2010 I found myself within 3 days of being homeless. It terrified me. I was even looking at ways to convert the backseat of my car into a bed. For me, a new freelance job came in just in time and I avoided it, but thousands of others don’t.

Last week I walked down to my local Vons and saw a young woman about 32 sleeping in her Mustang Convertible in the parking lot. The grocery store parking lots are a favorite place for those with cars and no homes to park in Los Angeles. That was last week, February 2014.

Rather than making this a silly holiday I’d like to suggest that people take the chance to use this day to look around. You’ll see them, the homeless, who have to sleep during the day because it’s too dangerous at night. They’re under overpasses, trees in the park, behind dumpsters and on the beach. They’re everywhere, and it is perhaps one of the saddest commentaries on our society. We’re the richest country in the world, yet millions of our citizens live on the streets. Let's make Public Sleeping Day count by seeking ways to end homelessness in the United States.