No rest for the caring — Nonprofit raises thousands via Asbury Park Sleep Out

By:  | May 7, 2025 |  | 

by Emma Sylvia

The popular adage and song both proclaim that there “ain’t no rest for the wicked” – however, one nonprofit in New Jersey is proving just the opposite: there’s no rest for those aiming to do good. On March 14, Covenant House NJ hosted its annual Sleep Out event in Convention Hall in Asbury Park, to amazing results. We sat down with Sue Monteiro, the Major Gifts Officer of Covenant House NJ, to discuss what exactly the nonprofit does, and how a group of high school girls raised thousands of dollars to fight homelessness in the state.

Covenant House NJ is a nonprofit organization that focuses on housing the homeless youth of New Jersey, as well as survivors of human trafficking. The organization has been around for years on an international and national scale, and its New Jersey division came to the state 40 years ago and opened its first house in Asbury Park in 2018. This initial development housed five young men, allowing their lives to stabilize and help them learn independence. In 2019, Covenant House opened their home for girls next door to their original house. Now, in Asbury Park, they house 10 young people at a time.

“A majority of them are from Monmouth, but we do get young people from other parts of the state that go into that program. Right now, we have a waitlist of over 150 names statewide.” Monteiro elaborates.

In the past few years, the local homeless population has skyrocketed.

“We’re seeing it with our young population, those 18-21 years old. They don’t have families or are in foster care, and for many reasons, they find themselves on their own. Even with a 40-hour a week job, they can’t afford an apartment in Monmouth or anywhere in New Jersey,” she says. “We provide not just the housing but the services that come with it. When a young person comes into Covenant House, we do an assessment to see what they really need. We focus on medical needs and make sure they have their paperwork in order.”

Young people are aided in finishing their education or achieving their GEDs in order to head to college or begin certification programs. The nonprofit’s youth engagement centers are open in Atlantic City and Newark, and, alongside Asbury Park they also have programs in Montclair, and Elizabeth. 

For Covenant House’s annual event, the Asbury Park Sleep Out, members of the community come together on one night to show solidarity with homeless youth in NJ, sleeping not in their beds but outside.

“You’re getting a feel for what a homeless person might go through one night on the streets.” Monteiro explains.

The Sleep Outs began years ago, with Covenant House working with schools to organize about 20 student Sleep Outs at different high schools throughout the state per year. This year, the event was hosted in Convention Hall in Asbury Park.

“It’s one of our largest sources of fundraising for our organization. We’ve been doing it for a number of years; this year was the first time we did it in Convention Hall.”

The event had 105 participants and raised $116,000 to support Covenant House’s mission. Twelve teams participated in the Sleep Out, with the top team being led by a group of young women from the Rumson/Fair Haven area, raising $35,000 (last year, they raised $25,000). Previously, the team was led by Abigail Doogan, a current high school senior, who passed the torch to Cate Sullivan to become the team leader this year.

“Community service has been one of my biggest interests, allowing me to help others and spread awareness. I was introduced to Covenant House last year. The work they do to provide shelter, education, and emotional support truly resonated with me, and I wanted to contribute to making a positive impact on the lives of young people in these conditions. For the last two years, I have been involved with raising money for the Asbury Park Sleep Outs. This year, as a junior, I was able to build my own team, and through our hard work we became the top fundraising team with $35,345. The event was a great opportunity to resonate with the teens that enter Covenant House and spread awareness for this cause. In the future I hope to expand my efforts and continue to raise money to build this program. Covenant House has truly been an amazing place for me to have the ability to help teens that are battling homelessness and create a promising path for their future,” says Sullivan, a junior at Rumson-Fair Haven High School.

Harbour Goldsmith, a sophomore at Rumson Fair Haven High School, also participated in the Sleep Out.

“I want to be part of creating a world where no one has to experience homelessness,” Goldsmith says. “This cause is especially important to me because I know that behind every statistic, there is a real person with a story, struggles, and dreams. Everyone deserves the chance to feel safe and supported, and I want to help make that a reality. By fundraising for the Sleep Out, I hope to contribute to the programs and services that provide people with the resources they need to build a better future.”

Monteiro, and the rest of Covenant House New Jersey, is excited to continue their work and their annual Sleep Outs. However, Monteiro cannot emphasize enough the importance of making sure every NJ youth has a bed to sleep in.

“It is crucial that we prevent our young people from experiencing a future of homelessness,” she says. “The experience in the Sleep Out is a reminder of just how vital our work is and how much more we need to do. It is clear that we, as a community, must continue working together to ensure the success of our youth and provide them with the opportunities they deserve. Covenant House New Jersey is so much more than a shelter, we are a family providing the resources and care for young people ages 18-21.”

To find out more about Covenant House New Jersey, visit covenanthousenj.org, or email Sue Monteiro at smonteiro@covenanthouse.org