In B.C.'s Lower Mainland, the sight of a homeless person asking for change is an all too common sight.
But now an unlikely group is getting a taste of what street life is like.
Fifty students from Simon Fraser University are spending the weekend outside of the downtown Vancouver library to try and draw attention to the cause.
For 24 hours, the group will go without basic necessities to try to raise money for their Sleep for the Streets campaign.
Related: Contribute to the campaign
It's been a wake up for the students.
"I can't feel my feet 'cause they're cold," one student tells CTV.
"It bothers me that people aren't even curious enough to ask what we're doing out here," says another.
They group is only allowed their sleeping bags and ID's and will not eat unless someone brings them food.
"Oh my God, I've never been so happy to have donuts in my whole life," a student named Elenore tells CTV.
The group is hoping to raise $5,000 for Convenant House, an organization that helps young people who were forced from their homes, or those who escaped because they were being abused.
"These kids, they find it safer on the streets of Vancouver. On Hastings Street, than they do at their own home," says organizer Julian Legazpi.
The organizers came up with the idea after staging a mock homeless camp in the main courtyard of the school. At the time, people contributed $30 in change.
They have started a website, www.nohome.ca, where information and resources are available for students without a home.
As of February 28 at 6 p.m., the group has raised just over $1,900.
With a report from CTV British Columbia's St. John Alexander
