Ashley Falkowski, freshman visual communication design major, and Veronica Menjivar, freshman exploratory major, secure their cardboard box house with duct tape last night in Risman Plaza. Students gathered for the event held by Habitat for Humanity to ra

Credit: DKS Editors

Brown cardboard boxes filled with Kent State students covered the ground in front of the Student Center from 7 p.m. yesterday to 8 a.m. today.

About 30 Habitat for Humanity student volunteers camped outside for the annual Sleep Out and slept in taped-up temporary cardboard homes to bring awareness to Portage County’s 400 homeless people, said Rachel Bahm, KSU Habitat for Humanity president and senior managerial marketing major.

“We’re not really homeless,” said Chris Popadich, Portage County Habitat for Humanity liaison. “But it could inch us a little bit closer to that experience.”

The chilly weather did not deter volunteers. Giggles could be heard from teepee-shaped homes, and camera flashes could be seen through the cracked cardboard. Polka-dot and zebra-print blankets filled the fake homes, where students chatted on cell phones or studied for tests.

The Habitat for Humanity treasurer searched local stores’ Dumpsters for the boxes the group used, Bahm said.

“Lauren (Habitat for Humanity treasurer) did some real Dumpster diving,” Bahm said.

Britni Cartie, Habitat for Humanity volunteer and freshman fine arts major, spent a few hours in her paper home. Cartie said she believes bringing attention to the homeless situation is important.

There is not enough housing for everyone in the world, Popadich said.

“If the population stopped growing it would take 50 years to get enough houses for the world’s population,” Bahm said.

According to Habitat for Humanity, the average house in the United States costs $60,000. Most Habitat for Humanity mortgage plans range from 7 to 30 years and have low monthly mortgage installments at fixed, zero-percent interest.

Adjustable mortgage rates are a main factor in the housing crash. This downturn slowed the economy, and many homeowners lost their homes because of default or foreclosure. According to the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. foreclosure statistics from the Mortgage Bankers Association, one out of every 200 homes will be foreclosed. Also, 250,000 American families will lose their homes every three months.

Contact social services reporter Gina Maldonado at [email protected].