The Sleep Out: Supporting Homeless Children
How does a child feel sleeping on the street in Los Angeles? It’s a heartbreaking question. Teenagers often separated from their families, spend nights scared and alone. Vulnerable to dangerous conditions that those of us rarely consider when we get in bed at night.
The national Sleep Out aims to change that. Organized by the Covenant House, the event on November 19th is raising awareness about child homelessness. It also raises necessary funds to get kids to safety in shelters and then transitional housing.
Supporters of the Sleep Out can simply donate funds, or they can also sleep outside for the night at locations across the United States. The local Covenant House is located in the Hollywood area.
A special opportunity for sports fans is that the Sleep Out will take place at five stadiums, including Yankee Stadium and others. In New York, this is the first time in several years that the field will be open to visitors.
One in five children at Covenant House shelters are victims of human trafficking, and over four million children in the U.S. will experience homelessness in 2026. A $100 gets one kid of the streets, and the effort by the Covenant House supporters covlove.org is aiming to raise $400,000 to help four thousand children into shelters across the country. Roque & Mark Real Estate is joining this effort. “We can do something right now,” said Co-President Zina Markevicius. “Let’s give four thousand children a safe place to sleep right now.”
Covenant House was founded in 1972 in New York City and has an open-door policy to help youth ages sixteen to twenty-one. The organization has helped over 1.5 million young people facing homelessness and surviving human trafficking.
Roque & Mark’s efforts to help youth include support of the Upward Bound House Urban Garden. Upward Bound House is a local non-profit helping homeless families through transitional housing and services.
To donate, join a Sleep Out, or learn more about youth homelessness, visit covlove.org. All donations are welcome.
The Helping Hub also served as an essential support center for first responders and National Guard personnel working near the front lines of the fires. Volunteers coordinated requested supplies and delivered items directly to emergency crews, making sure those protecting local neighborhoods had the resources they needed to keep going.
Today, Santa Monica Helping Hub continues to bring together volunteers, local organizations, businesses, and residents to respond wherever help is needed. Its mission has also expanded to include environmental recovery, recognizing the lasting impact wildfire debris and toxic ash have on the beaches and ocean that are such an important part of life in Santa Monica. Through cleanup efforts and environmental stewardship, the organization is helping care for both the people and places that make Southern California so special.
At Roque & Mark, we’re proud to celebrate and support organizations like Santa Monica Helping Hub. Their story is a reminder that a community isn’t defined by the challenges it faces, but by the people who step up when it matters most. We’re grateful to the volunteers, donors, and leaders who continue to make a difference, and we’re honored to shine a light on the work they’re doing every day. For more information or to volunteer with Santa Monica Helping Hub, head to their website: www.smhelpinghub.org.