About 15 students slept in a house constructed of Harley Davidson boxes Tuesday night south of the Campanile to raise awareness of homelessness in Ames and across the nation.

The event was organized by students from the Service and Justice Team and the Justice Action Team of St. Thomas Aquinas Catholic Church, 2210 Lincoln Way.

“Just the experience of sleeping out without a home, heat, a bathroom helps you understand why you would fight [to raise awareness],” said Bryan Steussy, senior in biochemistry.

Andy Hallman, sophomore in political science, who walked by the Harley Davidson house, said he thinks the method is effective at raising awareness. He said he was aware there are people in Ames who are homeless, but he did not know facts about the issue.

“I think what they are doing is really good, and I support their endeavor,” he said.

Denna Morgan, sophomore in English, who also walked by the students, said she was unaware that homelessness is an issue in Ames.

“I do not really see a lot of homeless people in Ames,” she said.

Vic Moss, director of the Emergency Residence Project, said a lot of people who are homeless or at risk to be are not visible to the community.

“There’s no way of knowing how many homeless people there are [in our community],” he said.

A survey done in July 2003 by the Story County Housing Coordinating Board of shelters in the area, along with a street count, found around 100 people either living on the streets or in transitional housing, Moss said.

“Most homeless people are in a situation where they have lost their home and are living with friends,” he said.

The survey did not include families doubled up in homes.

Moss said the demographics of homeless people has shifted.

Three-fourths of shelters used to be occupied by single men, he said, but there has been a shift toward families becoming the most common category of homeless people, he said.

“Half of the homeless population is children,” he said.

Moss said another factor that increases people’s risk of homelessness is an increase in housing costs without an increase in wages.

“The cost of housing is going up faster than income,” he said.

Thirty percent of income is what is recommended to be spent on housing, but many families pay more than half of their income in rent, Moss said.

“There’s the whole problem of affordable housing. There are people basically one paycheck away from being evicted,” he said.

The minimum wage has not increased since 1997.

The city of Ames stopped taking applicants for government-subsidized housing in August 2004, said Vanessa Baker-Latimer, housing coordinator for the Ames Planning and Housing Department.

“The program will still continue in the city of Ames,” she said. Applications for housing, however, are not being accepted.

Budget cuts in the Department of Housing and Urban Development have resulted in budget cuts and staff reductions to the city’s program, she said.

“Even though the waiting list is closed, we are still filling vacancies from the waiting list. We will get names back on once we’ve reduced our current waiting list, once things settle and we know where we are financially,” she said.

Steussy said the sleepout is a good way to raise awareness of the problem, but it does not give students a complete picture of what being homeless would be like.