SOUTHPORT, N.C. (WECT) - A nonprofit organization that provides services for more than 300 homeless individuals and families held its first poverty simulation in Southport.
The Sleep-out Brunswick 2024 Fundraiser took place on Friday Night and was hosted by Brunswick Partnership for Housing.
The experience helps people to empathize with those who end up in less fortunate situations. People slept in their cars, tents, and even boxes from Friday evening until Saturday morning.
Attendees participated in a poverty simulation where they received a new identity that came with difficult life situations. Participants then had to figure out how they were going to meet the needs of their families, make money, and get access to community resources to get to a financially stable position.
"It just like gives you a different perspective. You're all comfortable and you're not really thinking about other people, but being in this, it forces you to think about what people have to go through day by day and just makes you more appreciative of the things that you do have," says Nduwimana Mahehero, a participant.
After the exercise, the group had a debrief of what it was like taking on the role of someone else.
"I think we approach a situation with a certain mindset of how people got there or why they're there," says Sally Learned, the executive director, "The poverty simulation that we're doing tonight helps people understand what it takes for people to move out of poverty."
Learned says rural county poverty is often overlooked.
"We see Brunswick County often as a wealthy retirement community, and because it is so rural and so large, people just tend to disappear into the county. It's not like an urban area where you see concentrations of people who are homeless or who are low income," says Learned.
Tonight's experience also helps those in need because the money raised from tonight will pour back into needed resources. They raised over $40,000 thanks to the generosity of Brunswick County.
If you'd like to help the non-profit or know someone who can benefit from their resources you can click here.