Cardboard houses will cover the Quad today. Students, guest speakers and homeless people from the community will gather to spend all of this morning and Wednesday morning at the sixth annual Shantytown.

The event is constructed to appeal to students and draw in members of the community, especially people who live in homeless shelters.

They will sleep outside — even in the event of wind or rain — to address issues of poverty and homelessness in local communities, said event facilitator Helen Miller.

"The whole point is just to educate, and people interact and think about it," Miller said.

With donations from businesses such as Meijer, Panera Bread, and LA-Z-BOY Furniture, a committee of 10 volunteers will build small houses of cardboard and wooden palates on the Quad near Noyes Lab.

Panera donated bread and rolls and University Dining Services will provide soup and hot chocolate to foster interaction between students and the homeless.

Guest speakers will give presentations on poverty and homelessness in the surrounding communities. Between 6:30 and 9:30 p.m., Gail Elkins of the Times Center, Kathy Sims of the Center for Women in Transition, and a representative from the Salvation Army will inform and educate people about homelessness, Miller said.

Shantytown is part of a global endeavor created by Habitat for Humanity, an international organization that addresses and works to rectify poverty and homelessness in more than 80 countries worldwide.

"The main goal is to recognize that every family has a right to a simple and decent home," said the University chapter's secretary Erica Marti. "We build homes not to be extravagant but in which you can be happy."

The University chapter of Habitat for Humanity began in 1992. Since then, the chapter has built six houses — one every two years. In order to be placed in a Habitat house, one must apply as well as contribute 250 hours to building the home.

"It's a good base and nice to have an actual stable home," Miller said.

Each house costs approximately $50,000 to build. Therefore, every off-year is set aside for fundraising. The organization collects money by canning outside Wal-Mart and Target, the Union court, and by requesting grants from the University and major corporations.

"But Shantytown is an event that focuses on people instead of fundraising," Marti said.

Its purpose is to encourage interaction between students and the homeless people in their community.

"Some people think we are trying to simulate homelessness. That is not the point," Miller said. "We are trying to educate in hopes of encouraging students to volunteer."