The event includes dinner, activities and breakfast the following morning
The first annual Sleeping Out at the Bridge fundraiser hopes to haul in $100,000 for a new transition centre.
Leamington's The Bridge Youth Services program hosted more than 60 people at its location on Sherk St. Friday night.
The challenge is to sleep outside for one night with only a sleeping bag and a piece of cardboard to see what it's like on the streets and raise money to make sure area youth never have to.
Executive Director Krista Rempel tells CTV Windsor the event gives the community a glimpse into why the centre needs to exist.
"This organization specifically is looking to fulfill the central challenge of addressing housing instability within the Leamington area," she says.
Rempel says the money has a specific destination, to transition young people off the streets.
"We will be putting up a transition facility here on site, we're hoping to break ground next month actually and have it up by mid fall."
The event includes dinner, activities and breakfast the following morning.
So far, $68,396.56 has been raised.
— With files from CTV Windsor