Oakton College Students Go Homeless

With his nose running, Nick Frankel was setting up a shanty last week at Oakton Community College trying to get an idea as to what it would be like to be homeless for a night.

Thursday’s cold temperatures and biting winds brought a bitter sense of realism to the estimated 730,000 people who are homeless each night across America.

“The whole purpose is to simulate the experience of being homeless. In our own small way we are relating to them and that is the purpose of this,” Frankel said. “We want to take a mile in their shoes and understand what they go through on a day to day basis and step outside our own comfort zone. “

"This educates, advocates and fundraises all in one event. It really concentrates all of our attention in one huge event and really draws attention onto the plight of homelessness."

Frankel, the founding student of the Oakton chapter of Habitat for Humanity, was part of a group of 40 students and faculty who set up 18 shanties at the front door of Oakton Community College last week to get a first hand idea on what being homeless is all about. The only time anyone went inside was to use the bathrooms. It marked the culmination of an event that took a year to plan.

“This educates, advocates and fundraises all in one event. It really concentrates all of our attention in one huge event and really draws attention onto the plight of homelessness. A lot of classes have incorporated this into their syllabi,” said Marvin Bornschlegl, the advisor to Oakton Habitat chapter, as well a 21-year veteran of the Morton Grove Police Department.

Setting up the shanties at Oakton is one exercise of many the group has taken part in during just a brief existence. They have already travelled to Oak Ridge, Tenn. and Holland, Mich.  to set up one home with a second trip to Holland. A future event to Starkville, Mass., is already in the works.

“Homelessness is not just about the person who doesn’t want to work,” Bornschlegl said. “Imagine living in a shanty like this all night and then having to compose yourself to do a job interview. How do you get a job without contacts such as voice mails and e-mails? This really raises awareness.”

Skokie resident Ellie Mercado is one of five co-presidents of the chapter and became interested in the plight of the homeless when she was enrolled at Evanston Township High School.

Mercado said this event will give some perspective to everyone. 

“We are bringing it back to our own community and educate our faculty and students on homelessness," she said.

The Habitat chapter raised money by donations, a soup kitchen run out of the cafeteria with a portion of the proceeds going to the chapter.

“Getting a chance to talk to them was heartening,” said Skokie Mayor George Van Dusen, who stopped by to observe the process.  “They want to make a positive contribution toward solving the problems facing the country. Hopefully, a few of them will run for office.”

Frankel, who grew up in Winnetka, hoped Thursday’s venture braving the elements would teach everyone a lesson about the lives of people who have been less fortunate.

“It was very imaginative with what others have been trying to do in brining attention to economic problems are facing,” Van Dusen said. “They showed what the practical effect of the general downturn of the economy. It was doing more in a realistic way than what the Occupy Wall Street is doing but what they are doing is focusing on a specific problem.”

With Thanksgiving next week, that holiday only added more to the meaning of the exercise.

“This gives us some perspective on what we have to be grateful for,” Frankel said.

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