Imagine being so tired and just wanting to crawl in bed and fall sleep—yet having no place to lay your head. Imagine being a child with no bed to call your own, sleeping on the floor and using a rolled-up jacket for a pillow. Imagine having no comfortable place to call your own… no place to dream a little dream.
That is the harsh reality for hundreds of families and children in our city—every night. It is what advocates call a bed crisis.
A bed is one of the most basic human needs. It’s a necessary part of helping families and children create a functional living space, find stability in their lives and establish self-reliance. When individuals have a safe space to lay their head every night, they will do much better in practically every area of their lives. Children who get a good night’s rest are both physically and emotionally healthier and do better in school. Likewise, their parents are able to focus on other needs, such as employment, food, healthcare or education.
Why This Matters: The Impact on a Child Without a Bed
The impact of the bed crisis is sobering, particularly for children. In fact, research shows children without access to quality sleep are*:
- 87% more likely to drop out of school
- 69% more likely to struggle with depression
Additional side effects of the bed crisis on children include weaker immune systems, decreased focus, emotional problems, and fewer or weaker relationships.**
New Mattress Program Meets Basic Human Need
For this reason, SVdP Indianapolis is launching the Dream a Little Dream Mattress Program. Thanks to a $25,000 gift from Spreetail’s New Beginnings Program, we’re positioned to make a big impact on the bed crisis facing our neighbors living in poverty.
While Spreetail’s gift will get us started, we need everyone’s help to make this a long-term, sustainable solution! Our goal is to purchase and give away 1,000 mattresses this year alone. And then grow that each subsequent year. The good news is anyone can help—individuals, corporate sponsors, and SVdP conferences and districts.
Make a Gift Today
Help us ensure that our that our neighbors have a mattress, box spring, pillow, sheets and blankets to call their own. Many are recovering from homelessness, disability, domestic violence, substance abuse or COVID-19, or are working on fixed incomes with no margin.
Visit our special Dream a Little Dream webpage to donate funds for mattresses, box springs, bedding, blankets and pillows to those living in poverty and sharing a bed or sleeping on the floor.
Special Mission 27 Opportunity
As part of this program, our Mission 27 stores will be selling brand-new mattresses (queen, full and twin sizes). For every 10 mattresses that Mission 27 sells, it will give one mattress to the Dream a Little Dream Mattress Program..
*Source: Global Giving
**Source: https://blog.shpbeds.org/blog/kids-sleeping-on-the-floor
