C-U at Home, a mid-barrier homeless shelter in Champaign, will host its annual fundraiser and community awareness event, “One Winter Night”, in downtown Champaign on Feb. 6. Participants will spend the night outside to gain a better understanding of the challenges faced by the homeless.
In a Tuesday press release, the shelter encouraged community members, businesses, faith partners and civic leaders to participate in the event. Supporters can contribute by sponsoring participants, making donations, attending the event or volunteering.
“For more than a decade, One Winter Night has brought people together to shine a light on homelessness and raise critical funds for housing, support services and long-term stability,” the press release stated.
Funds raised for “One Winter Night” will support C-U at Home’s Pathways to Progress program, which covers transitional housing, resource navigation, case management and life-skills programming, per the release. The program is a 12-18-month journey focused on long-term stability for people over 18.
Through Pathways to Progress, the shelter seeks to empower individuals to build stability and pursue long-term recovery across all aspects of their lives, according to the shelter’s leadership.
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“We are seeing lives change every single day,” wrote Melissa Courtwright, executive director of C-U at Home. “One Winter Night is more than just a fundraiser — it is a community declaration that no one in Champaign County is ever too far gone to find hope, stability and a new beginning.”
C-U at Home is also working to renovate and expand a new mid-barrier shelter on Mattis Avenue, expanding its capacity by 26 beds. In August, the Champaign City Council approved a resolution to award C-U at Home over $400,000 for the project through Community Development Block Grant funds.
The facility is set to include offices for staff, individual rooms, kitchens, a gym, tech spaces and more. C-U at Home said its upcoming expansion means this year’s fundraiser carries special significance.
“Every year, the situation seems more dire, and this year is no exception,” Courtwright wrote in an email to The Daily Illini. “We need programs and resources to help the most vulnerable in our community.”
Courtwright also mentioned some of the shelter’s success stories, some of which are available to read on its website.
“We need people to stand in solidarity with those experiencing homelessness, and we also need to celebrate wins, like the six people who were once street homeless and are now enrolled in educational programs, working toward rebuilding their lives,” Courtwright wrote.
Registration, sponsorship information and giving opportunities are available on its event website.
