Sleeping and dwelling in the sukkah —exposed to the elements in the barest outline of a house — can remind us of the blessing of shelter. On Shabbat Hol Hamoed Sukkot, special guests from HOST (Housing Options for Students Today), a Raleigh nonprofit, will speak from the bimah to present their work matching Triangle college students who need short-term housing with hosts who provide a safe, affirming space in their homes.

About HOST
A survey of N.C. State students in 2017 indicated that almost 10% of students experienced homelessness in the prior year. That rate of homelessness climbed to 15% during the pandemic, a rate consistent with other U. S. campuses. HOST is a Wake County community-engaged strategy aimed at preventing college student homelessness by providing temporary safe and stable housing in the homes of local hosts, and assisting students to exit the host home into permanent housing with support from a caring case manager advocate.