On the 22nd of June 2023, our General Manager is representing Whiteboards and Pinboards at the Vinnies CEO Sleepout. It’s an annual event to raise vital funds for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of finding themselves without a safe place to call home. Every dollar we raise goes to Vinnies’ services, which include food, accommodation, education,  counselling, employment and health programs.

We’ll be joining business, government and community leaders across Australia in sleeping out. Our goal is to ensure that Vinnies’ vital services can stay up and running – meeting the increasing demand due to COVID-19, job losses, sky-rocketing costs of living, along with other social and economic pressures that keep homelessness on the rise.

We would greatly appreciate your support for this important cause. The Vinnies CEO Sleepout happens for just one night, but it raises vital funds to support people all year round.

About the Vinnies CEO Sleepout

• The Vinnies CEO Sleepout raises money for crisis accommodation, food, healthcare, counselling, education, employment, and support to find a permanent home for thousands of people across the country.
• Hundreds of business, government and community leaders sleepout on one of the longest and coldest nights of the year, gaining a small glimpse into the daily reality for tens of thousands of Australians.
• As well as fundraising for essential services, participants hear from people with lived experience of homelessness and learn about the factors that contribute to the growing number of people facing housing instability.
• In 2023 some states and territories will have a physical or a hybrid event. Please contact each event to see options available or visit www.ceosleepout.org.au.
• Nationally, almost $73 million has been raised since the Vinnies CEO Sleepout first started 17 years ago in Sydney. This year’s fundraising goal is $8.7 million nationally.

About Homelessness in Australia

• More than 122,000 people in Australia don’t have a safe and secure place to live, including an increasing number of young people and older women.
• Homelessness is a complex issue that cannot be solved with simplistic, short-term solutions. It affects people of all ages and backgrounds who find themselves without a safe and stable place to live; Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people as well as recent migrants are disproportionately affected.
• Of those people experiencing homelessness in Australia, around 7,636 ‘sleep rough’ in improvised dwellings, tents or outdoors. But the majority of people facing homelessness are living in cars, on the couches of friends or family, or in overcrowded, temporary or unsuitable accommodations or caravan parks.
• There is no single cause of homelessness. A shortage of affordable and available rental housing, domestic and family violence, poverty, unemployment, mental illness, drug and alcohol abuse, financial crisis, exiting state care and/or prison, and economic and social exclusion are all factors that contribute to the current state of homelessness in Australia.

About Vinnies

• The St Vincent de Paul Society was founded by a 20-year-old student named Frederic Ozanam in 1833. Frederic and his friends put their faith into action by alleviating the suffering in the slums of Paris.
• The founder showed that determined individuals can make a difference in the lives of others, and we carry on this vision today. Vinnies has close to 50,000 members, volunteers and staff across Australia, helping people to overcome homelessness, poverty, domestic and family violence, addiction and other forms of hardship.
• St Vincent de Paul offers “a hand up” to those in need; respecting their dignity, sharing our hope, and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny.
• St Vincent de Paul don’t just want to help individuals, but to transform our community into a place built on compassion and justice. Vinnies advocates for several pressing social justice issues, including the urgent need for more government investment in social housing

Frequently Asked Questions

How does sleeping out for one night help people who experience homelessness year-round?

The Vinnies CEO Sleepout isn’t intended to be a real experience of homelessness, but a way of encouraging empathy and awareness, while raising money for vital support services. While the Sleepout does not expose participants to the longer-term impacts of homelessness – such as the social isolation, physical danger, and long-term mental and other health impacts – it does provide a glimpse into what tens of thousands of Australians experience every day. The money raised through the Vinnies CEO Sleepout helps Vinnies provide important homelessness services all year round, including food, accommodation, education, counselling, employment and health programs. Since the annual event began in 2006, almost $73 million has been raised for Vinnies homelessness services across Australia.

How much does the Vinnies CEO Sleepout really ‘raise awareness’? How much can you learn about real homelessness by sleeping outside for one night?

Sleeping out is just one aspect of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout. Participants also hear from real people who’ve experienced homelessness, and learn about ways to use their power and privilege to make an ongoing impact. Research conducted by Western Sydney University, consisting of interviews with CEOs who took part in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout in Sydney, found that the impact of the event extended far beyond the money raised. Besides affecting participants emotionally, many reported taking practical steps to effect change within their companies, their communities, and their homes.

By focusing on ‘sleeping rough’, does the Vinnies CEO Sleepout give a misleading impression of what homelessness really looks like?

More than 122,000 Australians experience homelessness, and of these, around 8,200 people are ‘sleeping rough’ in improvised dwellings, tents or outdoors. People sleeping out on the street, in parks, caravan parks and other public places are often the most visible members of the homeless population. In 2023, we are drawing more attention to the majority of people experiencing homelessness who sleep under shelter, but nonetheless lack a suitable home. Many of these people live in overcrowded dwellings, sleep on the couch of a friend or family member, or reside in crisis accommodation or boarding houses.

How can I find out where the money goes?

This information is available on the Vinnies CEO Sleepout website at www.ceosleepout.org.au/where-your-money-goes.As a not-for-profit organisation registered with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, Vinnies fully complies with transparency and reporting requirements. Our annual reports are a good source of information about our impact and responsible stewardship of donor funds.