A group of young adults braved Friday night's torrential rainfall to experience what life can be like for Bermuda's homeless population.

And the experience, according to some of the sleepless participants, was a real eye-opener.

Lt. Denise Walker of the Salvation Army said she got the idea from a Salvation Army's newsletter from England.

She said the night of simulated homelessness fitted in with the "Get Real'' theme of their youth conference, and noted that it gave members a chance "to put our faith into action''.

Each of the Salvation Army participants set up camp with the bare necessities -- a cardboard box, a piece of waterproof tarp, and a garbage bag.

A few of the women took luxury items like Baygon and flashlights, but at least one of the men roughed it with nothing but his jacket.

And one member said Friday's thunderstorms made her even more determined to participate in the experience.

"Real homeless people don't have a choice, so we were going to do it regardless,'' said participant Andrea Cann.

Ms Cann said by the end of the night, she learned to feel more empathy, rather than sympathy, for local homeless people.

And she added: "They're not just `a homeless person'... as individuals, they are valuable.'' The group, whose ages spanned 17 to 33, slept in the park on North Street across from the Hamilton Salvation Army's Citadel from midnight until 5.30 a.m.

And members said there was never a quiet moment during the course of the night between screeching cars and people walking to and fro.

Ronnie Astwood and Cal Ming, both 17, discovered it was a bad idea to sleep near a pond because of the insect problems. "My whole side was bitten by mosquitoes,'' said Mr. Ming.

The group participated in the experience as a creative way to raise funds for the Salvation Army's soup run, emergency shelter, and Family Services.

And member Eugene Cann, emphasising that the activity was intended respectfully, stated: "We didn't want to make a mockery out of people's circumstance -- this is a serious thing.

"I don't know if people even believe there's a large number of homeless people in Bermuda because they don't see much of it.

"This was just a short time -- by no means a full experience -- but we were doing this for Christ,'' he added.