The Vinnies CEO Sleepout is a nationwide initiative that brings together Australia’s business and community leaders to raise awareness and funds to combat homelessness.
Each winter, on the longest and coldest night of the year, those participating sleep outdoors to gain a small insight into the realities faced by thousands of Australians without secure housing.
Proceeds raised support the St Vincent de Paul Society’s frontline services (including crisis accommodation, food relief, and long-term housing support).
Since its inception in 2006, the initiative has grown into a nationwide movement. This year alone, more than 1,600 leaders took part across Australia, collectively raising over $10.1 million to support people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
The growing homelessness crisis in WA
While the CEO Sleepout is a one-night event, the reality it represents is ongoing and becoming increasingly visible.
According to the 2021 Census, rough sleeping in WA more than doubled between 2016 and 2021, and even today, WA has one of the highest proportions of rough sleepers nationally (23.8%). To make matters more complex, 39% of WA homelessness service users reside in remote WA locations.
As for the cause, around 1 in 10 people accessing homelessness services across Australia have a disability. In addition, the top three leading causes for homelessness are financial difficulties (46% of people) family and domestic violence (44% of people) and lack of housing availability (34%).
Why initiatives like the CEO Sleepout matter
Across Australia, more than 122,000 people are experiencing homelessness, including families, children and older Australians facing increasing cost-of-living pressures.
Homelessness is not always an issue that’s top-of-mind for the everyday person, since many individuals experiencing it are not sleeping rough but are instead living in overcrowded or insecure housing (often hidden from public view).
The Vinnies CEO Sleepout is not intended to replicate homelessness, but to create awareness and drive real change. By engaging leaders with influence and networks, the initiative transforms awareness into advocacy and tangible support.
In Western Australia, where demand for services continues to rise, initiatives like the CEO Sleepout help ensure that people at risk of homelessness can access the support they need. The funds raised translate directly into meals, emergency accommodation, and the kind of wraparound support that helps people regain stability.
Even small donations can make a big difference. When you’re used to being able to go home to a warm bed each night, or have access to a hot shower before an important job interview, we don’t think about the added obstacles that some people fact in trying to improve their living situations.
But on cold winter nights like last night, $10 can go towards a warm meal or a hot drink. $25 can supply a care pack full of hygiene essentials (toothpaste, deodorant, etc.) to those with no bathroom access. And $75 can help feed a family for a day.
Helping Solutions’ contribution
Our CEO, Omair Chodhry, just completed his third year of doing the CEO Sleepout. He, among many others, spent the night sleeping in 2.9-degree conditions, and his experience was eye-opening.
“The hard surface feels like a torture… you toss & turn, but resting [your] head on the pillow is hard as it is because it slips out from cardboard. The cold seeps in on anything that’s not fully covered and also from the floor.
Around 1am, I went to the toilet and spotted a big rat crawling through between the chairs/ I chased it away, but when I returned to my area, I couldn’t sleep for this additional reason in paranoia that it would reappear.
Imagine doing this so many times in a year, which is what homeless folks do. So many nights a year they can’t access any shelter or couch, and at times, not even a decent spot on the street. Behind the dumpsters is apparently a way to go.”
Omair has averaged $4,000 in funds raised each year, which is the equivalent of being able to help provide emergency accommodation for nearly 8 families in crisis. There’s still time to donate, so if you’d like to make a contribution to this important cause, we would appreciate any size donation you can give.
Hope on the horizon
At its core, the CEO Sleepout is a reminder that homelessness is not inevitable, and that our collective efforts can contribute to lasting change.
As an NDIS Provider, this is a cause that is especially close to our hearts, knowing that it impacts a significant portion of both the disability population and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people across WA.
While we may not fully understand the difficulties of sleeping in the cold day after day, we know that change is possible, and our organisation hopes to be an active contributor to that positive change for years to come.
Sources:
Council to Homeless Persons website. (2023, March 29). Data and demographics – Council to Homeless Persons website. Council to Homeless Persons Website. https://chp.org.au/about-homelessness/data-and-demographics/
Estimating Homelessness: Census, 2021 – Shelter WA. (2023, April 13). Shelter WA. https://www.shelterwa.org.au/our-work/advocacy/homelessness/estimating-homelessness-census-2021/
Homelessness in Western Australia – Shelter WA Local Government Homelessness Knowledge Hub. (2026, April 21). Shelter WA Local Government Homelessness Knowledge Hub. https://www.lghomelessnesshub.com.au/education/resources/homelessness-in-western-australia/
