Gimme Shelter 2024

On any night in our community, hundreds of men, women and children do not spend the night in their own homes. They stay with friends and relatives, in shelters, abandoned buildings, tents and cars. Many sleep outside – seeking whatever shelter they can find.

The pandemic has been devastating for those without homes.

Food insecurity has become a major issue and the public buildings many people relied on for warmth and to maintain their personal hygiene are no longer accessible.

6pm Friday, February 16, 2024

Through

6am Saturday, February 17, 2024

RiverPlex
600 Northeast Water Street, Peoria, Illinois
&
The Miller Center
551 S 14th St, Pekin, Illinois

Gimme Shelter is an event hosted by Phoenix Community Development Services to raise awareness of the challenges faced by those in our community without homes and to give our citizens an opportunity to help end homelessness in Central Illinois.

Gimme Shelter will be held on the evening of February 16, 2024. Community members raise funds for the privilege of spending the night, from 6:00 pm in the evening until 6:00 am the next morning, outside in a cardboard box or in their car.

For those comfortable attending in person, a socially distanced event will be held at the RiverPlex. For those who aren’t, a virtual option will enable participants to join in from their home or any other location they choose. The event will also feature educational activities on the topics of homelessness, the challenges it poses for our society, and the solutions.

Gimme Shelter will bring our community together, raise awareness of the plight of those with nowhere to call home, and provide a powerful opportunity to learn more about homelessness. Participants will experience a taste of what it is like to be outside, overnight, in the heart of a Central Illinois winter.

Proceeds from Gimme Shelter will benefit Phoenix Community Development Services and help our neighbors without homes stay healthy and secure the permanent housing they need to end their homelessness and reach their full potential.

As part of the event, Phoenix CDS is offering a series of virtual educational sessions around the issue of homelessness
from 7:00 – 9:00 pm.
The sessions and are free to the public and will be streamed live via Zoom [Link will be made available soon].

More information about our education session to come! Check back soon.

Be a part of this exciting, unique event!

Gimme Shelter requires the support and partnership of many individuals and organizations in our community.

You can be a part of Gimme Shelter:

• By Registering to be a Participant

• By Pledging to Support a Participant or Team

• By Contributing Goods or Services

• As a Sponsor

• As a Volunteer

In-Person & Virtual Options
Spend the Night in a Car

 

For more Information: Contact Jolene Whisler at (309) 222-2751 or events@phoenixcds.org

Phoenix Community Development Services 202 N.E. Madison Avenue Peoria, IL 61602

Phone: 309/674-7310 Fax: 309/674-9652 www.phoenixcds.org

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Photos Courtesy of Angie Sneeringer of True Calling Photography.