Vinnies Community Sleepout to raise money and awareness of homelessness

Data from the 2021 census has revealed the number of people experiencing homelessness in Wagga has doubled in the past five years.

Nearly one in 150 people in Wagga were experiencing homelessness, or severe housing stress on census night.

On Friday August 25, Vinnies are inviting locals to sleep rough for a night, to better understand the challenges of homelessness, and raise money for relief services.

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Vinnies Community Engagement Coordinator for Regional Operations South Ashleigh Machell is organising the Wagga event. She's done the sleepout before, and said it really drove home the challenges rough sleepers face every day.

"I've done the sleepout in the past, and I know that getting up the next morning and trying to go about my daily business is quite difficult," she said.

"It's just giving people an idea of homelessness, and how difficult it is to access normal things ... to get up and go to work, take care of the kids, that sort of thing.

"We're asking everyone to be involved - whether you're a business person, a mum, a dad, a school teacher."

Last year, more than 310 people participated in the NSW Vinnies Community Sleepout, raising close to $275,000 in total. These funds support the Society's work in local communities across the state, providing food, clothing, temporary accommodation, and assistance with bills to individuals experiencing hardship.

Vinnies Wagga have a fundraising target of $25,000, which will provide material and financial aid, as well as referral services for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.

Vinnies NSW CEO Yolanda Saiz said that with the cost of living climbing, we could expect homeless numbers to continue growing. She said she hoped sleeping rough for a night would generate more interest in the systemic causes of homelessness.

"The reality is that many people are now faced with the difficult choice of putting food on the table or having a roof over their heads. This has sadly become an all-too-familiar story that our members witness every day", she said.

"The rising cost of living and housing crisis further exacerbates the conditions that push people into homelessness. It is driving many more people to seek assistance from charities in their time of need. In fact, 30% of people who sought assistance from our members did so for the first time.

NSW Vinnies Community Sleepouts will be held in Wagga on Friday 25 August.

People can register to take part and donate at www.vinnies.org.au/communitysleepout, or by contacting Ashleigh Machell at the Vinnies Micah Hub on (02) 6923 1908.

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