CHUM Asks Community to “Walk a Mile” in the Shoes of the Homeless

This is CHUM's first Walk a Mile event

DULUTH, Minn.- With a nationwide housing crisis, the homeless population continues to grow.

CHUM homeless shelter wants people to experience first–hand what it would be like to walk a mile in their shoes.

They’re trying a new way of bridging the gap with the homeless community.

“The difference with this event is that you actually have to walk through sort of a moment in the life of someone who’s experiencing this first hand,” CHUM advocacy director Liz Strohmayer said.

The event is called “Walk a Mile” in their shoes. It takes you though a simulation of what it’s like to be homeless in the city.

“There’s a lot of really great community providers here,” Strohmayer said.

But many who are homeless don’t know how to find help.

“How do you navigate those things and how do you provide those basic resources? How do you get those basic resources?” Strohmayer said.

Hunter Brainerd is walking a mile in Madison’s shoes.

“Madison is a 15 year old runaway who was sex–trafficked and self-medicates,” Brainerd said.

He says what he learned shocked him.

“That i need a guardian to go to therapy,” Brainerd said.

He hopes more people try to learn about these things in the future.

“There’s a lot of things involved and hopefully today people will be learning a lot about all the different things that Duluth has to offer for folks who are in need, but how still hard it is to access those things,” Strohmayer said.