NJ.com published the following article on April 11, 2014. To read the full article, click here.
Legislators will ‘sleep out’ to call attention to N.J.’s homeless youth
By Christopher Robbins/NJ.com
on April 11, 2014 at 2:33 PMTRENTON – Some Monmouth County state legislators will be sleeping under the stars on Friday, but in less-than-romantic fashion.
Assemblywoman Caroline Casagrande and state Sen. Jennifer Beck will join several other legislators on the streets of Trenton to raise money for a local homeless shelter and call attention to New Jersey’s homeless problem.
“We’re going to have quite a few members sleeping outside tonight,” Casagrande (R-Monmouth) said. “I brought books, I’ll be wearing layers – I hope it’s not going to rain. We were told no pillows, so we’ll be sleeping on cardboard.”
The “sleep out” doubles as a fundraiser for the Covenant House, New Jersey’s largest provider of services to homeless youth under the age of 22. Legislators are accepting donations from friends and family and via the web.
“We have 3,800 homeless people under the age of 18 in the state, that is just a snapshot from January,” Casagrande said. “We want to show solidarity and show those young people they’re not alone and we’re thinking of them.”