Sleeping Out, Standing Up: Vancouver REALTOR® Finds Purpose Helping Youth Experiencing Homelessness

In the rush of daily life, we may catch glimpses of others’ struggles – perhaps a youth alone on a park bench or a family sharing hardships on the news. These moments can stir something deep within us. For Michele De Fehr, a REALTOR® with Sotheby’s International Realty Canada in West Vancouver, that feeling became a call to action.  

“I feel our main purpose in life is to love and help others,” she says. “We gravitate to interests that ignite our passion, and that comes from personal experiences throughout our lives.”

In February, De Fehr was among 153 people who spent a cold, rainy night sleeping in a downtown Vancouver laneway to raise money and awareness for local youth experiencing homelessness. Since 2019, she has participated in and been among the top fundraisers for Covenant House’s annual Sleep Out Vancouver.

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“Your head hurts,” De Fehr says. “It is so cold and wet. There is no pillow to lie on so you can’t get comfortable, and there are noises all night long … You don’t sleep at all.”

She reflected on the stark contrast between her own one-night experience — with the safety of a group and security nearby — and the isolation faced by youth sleeping on the streets alone.

“That is no way for anyone to live and shouldn’t happen to anyone, young or old,” she says.

One year, despite wearing ski gloves, her fingers froze. Back home, her left index finger turned white and numb, experiencing pain in her hand that continued up her arm. A neurologist confirmed that sleeping on pavement had triggered old nerve damage from a car accident.

“I slept in the street for one night and suffered for six months,” she says. “Think about the many people who have to do this each night.”

Over her six years of participation, De Fehr has raised $114,915. REALTORS® have rallied behind her, and in 2025, the Sleep Out: Champions Edition raised $392,514. Her top donor every year has been the Wheelbarrow Fund, founded by two sisters after selling family real estate holdings who feel compassionate about Covenant House.

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De Fehr first learned about Covenant House when she was asked to take over as North Shore Coordinator for the REALTORS Care® Blanket Drive, six months into her real estate career. The initiative collects blankets, sleeping bags, and warm clothing for local organizations helping the less fortunate.

“Delivering to the organizations is what I really enjoyed as we experienced such gratitude,” she says. “It usually was an emotional day, but it felt so great. Covenant House were always happy to see the donations and overwhelmed by the generosity.”

De Fehr’s connection to the cause became deeply personal in 2007 when, as a widow raising three daughters, she discovered her youngest daughter was using drugs—a struggle that would lead to an opioid addiction.

“It was very difficult to navigate through so many unknown variables,” she says. “Several methods of treatment programs were tried over the following years to get clean, and I knew she was fighting hard to do so.”

Her daughter overcame the addiction but continues her work daily. She’s been clean for almost 11 years, is working in the health industry, is happily married and raising a family.

Covenant House Vancouver supports youth facing homelessness, meeting their immediate needs while also providing mental health counselling, life skills training, and transitional housing. The goal is long-term stability — healing, growing, and building independent futures.

For De Fehr, spending one night in the uncomfortable cold conditions many face daily is well worth the awareness and funding it brings to a critical organization and the youth it serves.

“When my daughter would go through the treatment programs, I had teens who were drawn to me because they saw the love between myself and my daughter. That’s missing with some,” De Fehr says. “When you have a loving family, there’s more motivation to do well in life, and get clean if you need to. Covenant House is a safe place for them to go. They offer so much more than food and clothing.”