St. Thomas students in Business 200 held an annual silent auction for The Listening House, a “living room” for the homeless, on April 13.

This year marks the auction’s 14th year, and business professor Deborah Gorski said it’s important for students to understand the reality of homelessness.

“We tend to have a belief that it’s something that happens to someone else, and they must have done something wrong,” Gorski said. “We’re trying to help students understand that it really takes sort of one slip … a medical bill you spent, a car issue.”

With more than 200 guests per day, and the operating costs amounting to $7 per guest, per day, the Listening House has a pretty hefty budget.

“Last year, the money was used to open the weekend program. So prior to that, they were open every weekday, but on weekends, they didn’t have anywhere to go,” junior Idee Udo said. “So now the shelter is open on weekends, and that was from last year’s money, so each year the money is put towards something better.”

According to the 2013 annual Homeless Assessment Report to Congress, Minnesota has one of the lowest unsheltered homeless populations in the country at 4.64 percent.

However, there are 3,591 people homeless on Minnesota streets—a demographic that the Listening House caters to. Udo said the Listening House is a safe place for people to stay.

“It’s just come and go. You can go whenever you want. You don’t have to give your name. You can go in there for just a cup of coffee,” Udo said. “They are for people who are between shelters or just need a warm place to go for a couple of hours.”

Gorski said that students learning to help the community is rewarding.

“It’s kind of this magic that happens when students go out and do service,” Gorski said. You know, not everybody arrives like, ‘Oh! I’m so excited, just so elated to do service.’ But we provide a structure with enough push where they go out there, and then they come back, and they see the world differently.”

Alison Bengtson can be reached at beng4632@stthomas.edu.