On Thursday 17 June 2010, 684 Business & Community Leaders slept rough in capital cities across Australia, in a bid to experience first hand what it is like to be homeless. The already $2.6 million raised will go directly towards the ongoing provision of Vinnies' homeless services across the country.There is still time to donate: Select a CEO to support or make a direct donation by selecting the city you wish to direct your donation to, then click the 'Make a Direct Donation' tab.

The Vinnies CEO Sleepout began as a local community venture in Sydney’s Parramatta in 2006. Since then, the event has raised important funds for Vinnies Homeless Services across NSW. 2010 marks the first national staging of the event and coincides with a time of reflection on the past year of rising unemployment and economic uncertainty. Australia is still raw with the advent of many people and families being forced into a place of disadvantage that they had never expected to be – first time homelessness.Contradicting commonly held stereotypes, the new face of homelessness is families. Young families; two-parent families; families with no history of domestic violence. Vinnies has responded to this growing and critical need by providing services to support families and individuals in crisis. But we need to do more. And we need to begin by breaking down the misconceptions of homelessness by showing that it is society’s problem, at large.54% of homeless people seeking supported accommodation are turned away.
(Australian Institute of Health and Welfare 2008)At the last Census, 104,700 Australians were counted as homeless (Australian Bureau of Statistics 2006) with 50,256 Australian’s on the street, every night. The growing incidence of homelessness has not been accompanied by an increase in services to meet demand. While Vinnies operates a wide range of homeless services across the country, many areas remain without specialist homeless and housing services to support the needs of people experiencing disadvantage.The aim of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout is not only to raise funds, but raise awareness of homelessness. Our goal is not just to service the homeless, but to bring about an end to homelessness. The discomfort of sleeping on the streets is a fragment of the larger reality we hope to impart upon influential leaders of the community. With their help, and yours, we can fight the issue of homelessness together.