To raise awareness about homelessness in the Ames community, the Catholic Student Community is holding the Campanile Challenge on April 4.

This is an overnight event from 4 p.m. April 4 to 9 a.m. April 5 where students camp on Central Campus underneath the Campanile to see what it is like for the homeless who have to do it every night.

The Homeless Awareness Sleepout was inspired by Reggie’s Sleepout, a similar event in Des Moines that benefits Iowa Homeless Youth Centers.

The Catholic Student Community is calling this event the Campanile Challenge because sleeping outside, especially in April, can be difficult.

“It is going to be cold, but that’s part of the experience,” said Garret Schieber, coordinator for the event. “Once students get out there and experience how cold it can be at night and how difficult it is to sleep when it’s that cold, they can realize that being homeless is very, very difficult and may be motivated to get involved in local homeless shelters.”

The sleepout is open to anyone who would like to participate. Students who would like to come are encouraged to join the Facebook group, but walk-ins will be welcome.

Blankets and hot chocolate will be provided, but students will need to provide their own food and sleeping bags.

The night begins at 4 p.m. April 4, starting with a contest where students build the shelter they will sleep in that night. The students will have five hours to complete their structures before judging begins. Students who wish to participate in the contest are encouraged to come as early as possible as materials for the structure are provided on a first-come first-serve basis.

After judging, Troy Jansen from the Emergency Residence Project, the event’s guest speaker, will announce the winner and speak at 10 p.m. about the problem of homelessness in Ames.

At 10:30 p.m., there will be glow-in-the-dark games until “lights out” at 12:30 a.m. The event will end at 9 a.m. April 5, at which time students will take down their cardboard box shelters.

The purpose of the event is to show students that homelessness is something that can happen to anyone and is increasingly happening right here in Ames.

“Homelessness doesn’t just affect old people, it also can affect students, especially with the high rent prices here in Ames,” Schieber said. “There are homeless students, and they typically have to resort to sleeping on friends’ couches or even finding a section of a building on campus that they can sleep in every night.”

The homelessness problem is increasing due to a lack of available housing. According to Shari Reilly, director of campus ministry and social justice coordinator at St. Thomas Aquinas Church and Catholic Student Center.

Reilly said the vacancy rate in Ames is currently at about 1.4 percent.

“ISU enrollment has risen over [7,000] in the last seven years and is expected to rise an additional [1,000] for next fall,” Reilly said. “New construction has not been keeping pace.”

Students who are unable to attend the event are still encouraged to get involved. There are a number of homeless shelters in the Ames community that would benefit from volunteers or donations, Schieber said.