About SleepOut

SleepOut is a night spent out in the cold each March to raise our collective consciousness about homelessness in New Hampshire and to raise funds for the services that fulfill critical needs and help transform lives. Run by Waypoint since 2005, funds raised have been key to supporting homelessness programming and have empowered Waypoint to establish the state’s first and only overnight youth shelter in Manchester in 2022 and drop-in centers in Concord and Rochester.

Our “sleepers” agree to spend the night outside and have an individual goal of raising at least $1,000 a year. This grassroots effort typically results in more than 2,000 separate donations and helps share the message that through SleepOut, Waypoint will bring more New Hampshire youth closer to home.

Corporate sponsors are also critical to the success of SleepOut and over two dozen organizations have lent their name to support SleepOut annually. As SleepOut takes a more prominent role in supporting our new shelter and drop-in centers, enhancing the number of sleepers and corporate sponsors will help Waypoint support these essential resources.

Each year, Waypoint makes over 1,500 contacts with youth and young adults who are homeless. National research indicates that the actual number of youth likely to experience some form of homelessness in a year’s time in NH could be over 14,000. Youth homelessness is typically the result of family instability, parental mental illness, addiction, poverty, and a history of family violence including child abuse/neglect. Once homeless, youth are in constant danger of being victimized or exploited, and it is increasingly difficult for them to exit homelessness without assistance.

To learn how to support SleepOut, please contact Paul Staller at 603-518-4205 or stallerp@waypoint.org.