Sleeping Rough at Vinnies CEO Sleepout

Carolyn is humbled to be an ambassador in the 11th year of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout. She’ll be thrust into the shoes of the homeless to endure a freezing night armed with only a sleeping bag, beanie and sliver of cardboard to sleep on, all in the name of raising crucial funds and awareness for homelessness support services.

Over 1,000 respected corporate leaders will also join the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, each showing their commitment to helping increase awareness of the 100,000+ homeless Australians and what they experience every night. Statistics show that nearly six in every 10 people who access homelessness services across Australia are women, who are often with children escaping violent relationships or suffering financial or health difficulties.

According to Carolyn, “Everyone has a basic need to feel safe and not live in constant fear. Sadly for women, homelessness can be very dangerous, particularly for women fleeing domestic violence. Their greatest dream for themselves and their children is to feel safe and secure every day and every night. It is my honour to be able to sleep out to help raise awareness for a group of really needy people who simply are dreaming of having of what most of us take for granted every day.

“I believe, sadly, that many Australians worry more about what they don’t have in life rather than what they do. We are the luckiest people to live in this incredible country and if we can live with a grateful heart and try and do what we can, when we can, we will be a much more caring, productive, positive and successful society.

“As a mother, wife, daughter and sister, I’m putting my hand up to say that I see these women, I hear their stories and I think we can do better to support them as a community. I’m happy to do something about starting important conversations that we need to have.”

The Vinnies CEO Sleepout will be held across Australia on June 23rd (Adelaide’s event will be held on June 16th). If you’d like to sign up yourself, please visit www.ceosleepout.org.au or you can help raise crucial funds here. The aim is to raise $1.5 million, a sum which would secure 200 houses through Vinnies’ Home Direct program. The hope is to stop the cycle of repeated homelessness by giving people rental support, access to a 12-month lease and the avenue to save for their own home.

The morning after the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, Carman’s will be serving a well-deserved breakfast to everyone who took part.