Students are trying to raise awareness of the homeless by experiencing firsthand what it’s like to live that way.

St. Thomas Aquinas’ Service and Justice Team have been sleeping outside for housing and homeless awareness since noon Wednesday until noon today. The group plans and leads a variety of service activities in the community and also events to raise awareness of how to respond from a faith perspective, said Nate Jacobi, service team peer minister for St. Thomas.

“The main goal is to raise awareness of the lack of affordable housing and homelessness – especially locally but also nationally,” he said. “By raising awareness, we hope to encourage people to take an active role in shaping political decisions on the local, state and national level. Statistics . indicate there is a lack of affordable housing in Ames, which is an especially difficult situation for people on low incomes.”

According to the Emergency Residence Project, the average price of a home in Ames is $193,100. In addition, 453 people stayed in Ames’ homeless shelters last year. The Ames “housing wage,” or full-time hourly income a household needs to afford housing, is $9.35 per hour. This supports a $436 per-month one-bedroom apartment without utilities.

An average of 230 evictions annually have been ordered by the court in the past five years, and a large number of households leave under threat of legal action, according to the project.

Lois Oldham, freshman in biology, said she’s happy to participate in this event.

“I hope people analyze how this part of society lives and how faith plays a big part of it,” she said. “Instead of thinking about it, we want people to act it, such as writing letters to get this situation changed.”

In addition, said Jacobi, senior in psychology, participants discussed homelessness at a reflection period.

Paul Fisher, peer minister and senior in mechanical engineering, said this is his first year for the sleep-out.

“I’d sleep wherever the boxes are,” he said. “We’ll throw a tarp over if it rains . but realize homeless people don’t have that option.”

Twenty refrigerator boxes were ready Wednesday afternoon for the 45 participants who signed up for the event.

Jacobi said students and the public are encouraged to stop by for information.