You're watching...
Casey Stegall reports on a Dallas-area youth pastor who plans to spend the entire month of November living homeless on the streets of Dallas.
Also in this playlist...
Auto-advance: ON
Auto-advance
This transcript is automatically generated
And welcome back to foxnews.com.
Liable -- -- -- area pastor plans to spend the entire month of November.
On the streets as a homeless person.
And he's doing this to become one -- -- a pastor but also to shed light and she understand better the plight of the homeless or Casey Stegall is live from our Dallas bureau with more on -- Think he's.
Kind of progress has he made.
-- this is fascinating you said that it's for the entire month of November so it's the twentieth he's got about ten days left he's more than half done.
This is a north Texas youth pastor who has set out on this mission his name is Leon -- is there you see.
He say he said that he spent some nights in shelters -- spent some sleeping in parking -- is a far cry from the suburban life he normally enjoys with his wife and young children.
He left his money.
His ID cell phone and everything behind taking just the clothes on his back.
An empty bag his guitar and a video camera to document the experience.
People even snapping pictures of him and tweeting them out.
To hash tag have you seen -- the last twenty days and -- is knows that there are some skeptics out there.
About what he's doing.
They are time because I do have a place to go back to.
You know after thirty days right.
I'm gonna just I'm here for -- until I cannot put myself in -- in -- position -- -- minutes his side.
It's really lonely out here.
Now the purpose is twofold to not only go on a personal spiritual journey he says but also to give hope.
To the homeless and raise awareness about a very important issue more.
Now Casey how how our outreach groups responding to the -- efforts -- Well many really applaud this social experiment if you will they say that they're curious to see what he learns from that in fact -- -- himself has said that he would like to meet with.
Metropolitan leaders to show in his own words what he thinks the city and the state is doing well and what it could improve -- Texas has one of the highest homeless populations by the way in America.
Behind California and new York and -- and the US Department of Housing and Urban Development estimates there are more.
Then 636.
Thousands people experiencing homelessness in America.
Children and families are really hard hit.
By the recession and that is the area.
That.
Where the progress is not what it needs to be and you have so many families.
That operate generally.
One -- two paychecks away from homelessness.
And here in Dallas for example very big goal has been set to end chronic homelessness to be the first American city to do that.
Chronic homelessness by definition people that are homeless for more than one year or those who have disabilities but to end chronic homelessness in Dallas.
Within the next four years it's an ambitious goal and certainly a fascinating project.
-- -- especially as we head into Thanksgiving and so many of us will be sitting down.
With the roof over our heads and and -- food and our bellies with our family members and there are a lot it's important to remember that they don't have much.
And that that is certainly raising awareness on this issue.
Well let me -- one of -- because -- the -- -- going to -- Thanksgiving with his family and friends and even parishioners.
To stay on the streets.
Yup that's the plan he is a youth pastor so we assume that there have been some.
You know back filling if you will within his church because they do support this.
That this mission that he is all I'm.
But yeah I mean Thanksgiving is this weekend he says that he's doing this for the entire month of November.
He has met with his wife we should say there before he set out on this he basically picked certain dates and meeting places ahead of time.
So that members of this family and also friends could check in on his well -- because quite frankly.
Can be dangerous out on the streets here in Dallas and so he had these meeting set up ahead of time.
So that they could check on his well being but.
You know it's it's absolutely fascinating -- and that's where some of the criticism lies some people say look at the end of thirty days you can go back to your home.
And a homeless person who is indeed homeless doesn't have that kind of opportunity but those advocates that we talked to say.
If it is just getting it out in the media and this is a peg to to get the issue talked about.
Been there OK with it.
All right thank you very much Casey Stegall live from our Dallas bureau.
What were wonderful story.
