While trying to learn more about homelessness, I had the opportunity to sleepout at Notre Dame University. The sleepout was most definitely eye-opening. We had to sleep rough for a night, eat food that was prepared for us by a soup kitchen (like homeless shelter foods) and share this space with a large group of others. The sleeping arrangement was the hardest, we were sleeping on a cold concrete floor in a sleeping bag, squashed up against everybody else. It would have just been a sleepless night, if it didn’t rain, around midnight it started pouring with rain. We were cold, wet and couldn’t wait to get home. This experience made me realise how challenging it was for these normal people who just got themselves into a bit of trouble. Through this experience I learned about the services that were available for people living on the streets, how easy it is to become homeless – just one or two things can go wrong and people can end up sleeping rough. One of the highlights of the evening was a performance by homeless youth where they demonstrated the transition from privilege to homelessness – it was incredibly powerful.