Rams defensive ends Chris Long and William Hayes took to the streets of St. Louis to get a first-hand look at the challenges of being homeless.
In an ESPN feature segment called "Life on the Streets," Long and Hayes wore second-hand clothing and makeup to hide their identities. They started out with only $4 each and had no access to cell phones.
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Two Rams players experienced homelessness for a night and said the experience changed their lives. WATCH: http://t.co/RTPJic19xN #SCFeatured
— ESPN (@espn) May 31, 2015The duo was forced to panhandle outside of the Edward Jones Dome where the Rams play their home games. They also had to sleep in an abandoned truck for the night.
"You realize that the causes of homelessness are so multiple and so layered," Long said. "What I do know more about now is the experience of being homeless and just what these people might feel for just a day."
Long sent out a series of tweets to explain what he learned from the experience.
I think raising awareness is important on a lot of levels but the thing I took away was the human element of the problem.
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) May 31, 2015Awareness can't fix everything, and just 2 days and a night on the street didn't give us any answers. It did however give us perspective.
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) May 31, 2015I hope that I can give more of my time, energy and resources to the cause in the future. William has been a real champ the last few years.
— Chris Long (@JOEL9ONE) May 31, 2015