Slept Rough. Learnt Stuff

Last night marked the 14th Annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout, an initiative to raise awareness and funds for homelessness.

Whilst Public Sector Network already supports many charitable causes - including OzHarvest, RuOK, The Smith Family, White Ribbon, Dress for Success and Soldier On amongst others - this was our first time supporting Vinnies, and certainly my first time sleeping rough.

So what did I learn?

It’s not who - or what - you think.

The stereotypical homeless person is perceived to be male, drunk, dangerous and sleeping rough with a dog. This is simply not accurate. 

Women over 55 - often fleeing domestic violence - and young children are just as likely to be without a home, often sleeping in cars, on couches or in/out of refuges.

Services are available - but it’s not enough.

Vinnies - along with many others - offer shelter, food, medicine, counselling, clothing and comfort, but are struggling to keep up with demand. 

Even in a prosperous nation like Australia, homelessness is on the rise - an estimated 116,000 sleep “rough” each night, meaning that many can't access the help that they desperately need.

Sleeping rough isn’t fun - even for one night. 

As someone doesn’t tend to feel the cold - and who could fall asleep on a washing line - I was fairly confident I could handle a night on the concrete under the stars. 

Turns out I was only half-right.

Despite it being just 7 degrees, I actually ended up shedding layers (!) However, it turns out that concrete is used for pavements - and not mattresses - because it’s uncomfortable. Really uncomfortable. Like, “waking up every 45 minutes with a numb leg/arm/shoulder/face” uncomfortable.

The prospect of doing that night-after-night is a scary one - especially without 300+ other people around you for support - and explains why so many suffer from mental and physical trauma. 

What can you do to help?

So far this year they have raised nearly $7,000,000, which represents a huge success.

However, you can still donate money to the cause here or alternatively drop-off clothing at your local Vinnies. 

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Thanks to all those that we brave enough to share their personal stories with us last night, and inspire more awareness and - hopefully - action from the corporate community.

For more information on Vinnies and the complex issues surrounding homelessness, you can check out my 20-minute interview with NSW CEO Jack de Groot here