Cathy Brudnicki, executive director of the Ventura County Homeless and Housing Coalition (VCHHC).

THOUSAND OAKS, CA. - A public panel discussion and a Sleepout and shelter overnight for students are planned as part of California Lutheran University’s Homelessness Awareness Week.

Experts and activists will discuss “Housing and Homelessness in Ventura County” at 7 p.m. Wednesday, Jan. 26, in the Roth Nelson Room. The panel will feature Cathy Brudnicki, executive director of the Ventura County Homeless and Housing Coalition (VCHHC), Leonard Schneiderman, professor emeritus of social welfare at the UCLA School of Public Affairs, and Darlene Mees, Southern California area director for Lutheran Social Services (LSS). In addition to local issues, they will also discuss homelessness at the regional, state and national levels.

Other activities coordinated by CLU’s Community Service Center will provide students with experiences where they can learn more about homelessness. On the evening of Jan. 27, a Sleepout will be held on campus. Students will build housing from cardboard and participate in activities that look at the demographics, stereotypes and causes of homelessness.

On Jan. 28, students will help run the overnight shelter that LSS coordinates with seven Conejo Valley churches. The students will eat dinner with the guests, set up sleeping areas, watch a movie, spend the night, set up breakfast and clean up the sleeping areas.

There are 1,815 people, including 200 children, who are homeless on a given day in Ventura County, according to the VCHHC. There are 117 families who are homeless and nearly three-fourths of them are single-parent families. The number of families affected by homelessness and those at risk of having inadequate or unstable housing is growing with the increase in foreclosures and other economic challenges.

CLU’s Center for Equality and Justice is sponsoring the free panel discussion. The Roth Nelson Room is located on Mountclef Boulevard between Olsen Road and Memorial Parkway on the Thousand Oaks campus. For more information, contact Sam Thomas at sthomas@callutheran.edu or (805) 493-3693.