But you can help make a difference.
Going virtual this year, the NSW Vinnies Community Sleepout will see participants come together in a state-wide effort to raise important funds and awareness for those in the local community who need it most.
By choosing to sleep out in your car, backyard or on your couch on Friday, October 23, you can help raise funds for your patch while connecting with the event’s livestream on the night as well as some of the realities faced by those experiencing homelessness and disadvantage.
Working out of St Vinnies in Lewisham, Katrina Ortolan has decided to take part in the Sleepout for the first time.
“I deal with homelessness everyday in my job but I am excited to be taking part in this initiative which is an opportunity for everyone to give it a go and see what it’s like to be without the comfort of your bed,” she said.
“I will be roughing it with friends in the backyard but unlike those on the street, 12 hours later I will get to crawl into my own bed.
“It’s been a challenging time and we’ve all got our own bills to pay but this is a chance for families to do something to help in the privacy of their own home, car or yard. It will be an eye-opener.”
To register, go to fundraise.vinniesnsw.org.au.
Families invited to take part in virtual sleepout in yard to help
ON any given night, some 45.7 per cent of households are in housing stress, placing them at significant risk of falling into homelessness and joining 116,000 others without a roof over their head across NSW.