Sioux Falls Community Leaders Get A Taste of Homelessness

A group of community leaders spent the night in a tent outside the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House in Sioux Falls. Joel Dykstra of the Downtown Rotary Club was among them.

"It's a lot of noise. It's the elements. It's cold. Tonight isn't the toughest night in South Dakota. Just a a little taste of that gives you a sense of what folks are up against when they're on the streets."

Dykstra understands what it's like to be homeless---even if it's just for one night!

"When you're sleeping on the hard ground---you feel your old bones and you get a sense of how difficult it is to move around...to get comfortable. To get a continuous night of sleep is a challenge."

The Director of the Bishop Dudley Hospitality House Chad Campbell says homelessness affects a lot of people in Sioux Falls.

"So many people wind up on the streets and end up sleeping outside in the cold. A night like last night where it was in the 20's---that's very uncomfortable. It's a situation that is a reality in our community we have to face and say 'not in my city!'

Aside from making residents aware of homelessness, the 'Night of Hope for the Homeless' is an opportunity to provide revenue for the Sioux Falls Facility.