St Vincent de Paul Central West are running three community sleepovers to give community members the opportunity to experience sleeping rough.
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The Mudgee Sleepout will be held at St Matthew’s Catholic School on Friday, August 24.
Participants will have the choice of sleeping out on the oval under cardboard or on the floor of the gymnasium. It will be a ‘no frills’ event with participants being given a cup of soup and a bread roll on arrival and a barbecue breakfast the following morning provided by the student representative council.
Those participating will seek sponsorship from friends, family and work colleagues, with the money raised going to care and support those less fortunate in the community.
“The Sleepout is designed to be able to give people a taste of what it’s like for those who are doing it rough. We have many people who sleep in vehicles, some that sleep under houses or in vacant buildings, as well as couch surfing because they don’t have a place of their own,” executive officer of the Bathurst Central Council Region, Bruce Buchanan, said.
“So it’s an opportunity to raise awareness of the people who are less fortunate than ourselves and help raise money to support them.
“There are a whole gamut of circumstances as to why people find themselves in a situation where they don’t have a safe place to sleep at night time.
“We are encouraging people to form a team of friends, family, workmates, or sporting teams, and do the Sleepout as a group. It’s a great opportunity for people to experience what it’s like – in a protected environment – to sleep rough.”
In the last financial year Vinnies Central Council region has provided over $500,000 in care and support services in the form of; electricity and telephone vouchers; food hampers; water support; and medical and crisis accommodation.
Of that Vinnies – Cudgegong Regional Council Area assisted over 1,000 people with over $120,000 worth of support. Including families living on the edge of homelessness, women escaping domestic violence, youth battling mental health, those struggling with addictions and others who simply ‘don’t fit in’.
To register for the sleepout or make a donation, go to centralwestsleepout.com.au (all donations over $2 are tax deductible and will be provided with a receipt).
For further information please contact Vinnies Central West at communitysleepout@vinnies.org.au
