Sleep Out Brunswick Presented by Hagood Homes
Let’s Sleep Out Brunswick! Back for its third year, Brunswick Partnership for Housing (BPH) is holding its 15-hour countywide sleepout, Poverty Simulation© and fundraising experience Oct. 16, 2026, at Brunswick Community College. Sleep Out Brunswick, presented by Hagood Homes, has two main goals: provide participants with an awareness of what homelessness could feel like and raise funds for services and transitional housing in Brunswick County.
In the last year, Brunswick Partnership for Housing Outreach has served 407 people with intake, referrals and case management. Of those 407, 307 received emergency shelter for 650 nights. Transitional housing served 18 people in eight households. Four of those families moved into permanent housing, and 58 people moved into permanent housing through the BPH Rapid Rehousing program. Its mission continues. The City of Southport Planning Board gave BPH approval for a seven-unit workforce housing project that will be adjacent to its building at 250 E. 11th Street, Southport.
By joining Sleep Out Brunswick, you help continue these important services. The main event takes place Friday, Oct. 16 at 5 p.m.- Saturday, Oct. 17 ending by 8 a.m. at the Brunswick Community College Alan Holden Public Safety Building in Bolivia NC. Participants will sleep out safely in tents, cardboard boxes or cars and raise donations by doing so. Sign up at brunswickpartnership.org/SleepOutBrunswick. It’s easy. Simply click on “Register & Donate, then click on “Join or Form a Team,” then click on “Join a Team” or “Create Your Own Team.” Then, follow the prompts.
Busy Oct. 16? No problem. Choose your own date. Sleep offsite between Sept. 16 – Oct. 16 and raise donations by doing so. Create a competition between teams. It’s a fun way to raise money for this important cause. Off-site participants may gather friends and neighbors; their clubs or organizations and sleep in their driveway, back yard, or church parking lot, for example. If sleeping outside isn’t possible, sleep on the floor or couch – just not a comfy bed.
On-site participants will experience the Poverty Simulation© October 16 from 6 p.m. – 9 p.m. “This is an opportunity to feel what it’s like to be homeless and in poverty,” said BPH Executive Director Sally Learned. “This a profound and moving guided experience that we’re delighted to bring to Sleep Out Brunswick.”
“Holding the fundraiser in the Alan Holden Public Safety Building is a perfect synergy with our Poverty Simulation©,” said Barry Fulton, BPH board chair. “It is an amazing display of state-of-the-art immersive education preparing BCC students for real-world situations. It opened in June and educates the next generation of first responders including Law Enforcement, Fire and EMS. Both our three-hour Poverty Simulation© and the overall 15-hour homelessness experience complement this venue's mission seamlessly.”
Sleep Out Brunswick registration is open at brunswickpartnership.org/SleepOutBrunswick. Both on-site and off-site participants must register. See the tool kit for more detailed information including frequently asked questions and fundraising tips.
To find out more, contact Sally Learned at admin@brunswickpartnership.org, Barry Fulton at barrylfulton@gmail.com or Susan Crabtree at susan-crabtree@hotmail.com.
About Brunswick Partnership for Housing
Brunswick Partnership for Housing is a private, nonprofit organization in Brunswick County. Its mission is to address the needs of unsheltered individuals and families seeking permanent housing and advocate for affordable housing. In the last five years, BPH has served more than 2,000 unsheltered people. Using a trauma-informed care approach, BPH cultivates a safe, supportive and respectful environment to empower clients in achieving their housing goals.