This year, our charity is marking 30 years since our first ever sleepout in 1988. Over three decades, the initiative, which invites people and groups to spend a night sleeping away from the comfort of their bed, has seen more than 50,000 people take part and raise over $3 million for vital homelessness services.

Now we’re calling on everyone in our Goulburn community to consider hosting their own “eye-opening” sleepout to raise much needed funds and raise awareness about this important issue. 

Because it’s unacceptable that more than 116,000 Australians - including 110 people in Goulburn-Mulwaree – are experiencing homelessness. As I’m sure you’ll agree, one person without a safe place to call home is one person too many. 

We are proud of the work that we do at Mission Australia here in our community and across Australia, but we know we couldn’t achieve such positive outcomes for vulnerable Australians without community support. 

In asking individuals and community groups to rough it for just one night, we hope that the experience will give people a brief glimpse into the reality of the lives of the thousands of people in Australia who are homeless. 

Of course, many of us can’t truly understand what it’s like to be homeless. But the sleepout experience is an opportunity for people to comprehend and reflect on the plight of people who are homeless, which we hope will equip them for further action and advocacy.

While it’s a significant milestone, unfortunately there aren’t many reasons to celebrate on the sleepout’s 30th birthday. Homelessness rates in Australia are rising, which is largely due to the escalating costs of rental properties and a lack of social and affordable housing. There’s never been a more critical time to shed light on the effects of the housing affordability crisis.

We also know that rough sleeping is just the tip of the iceberg, with other forms of homelessness being invisible to the public eye. Many people are experiencing hidden homelessness – that is, living out of a car, on a friend’s floor or in an overcrowded share house.

We want to see a national plan that commits to ending homelessness by 2030 and addresses the main drivers such as family violence, poverty and the lack of affordable housing. As part of this plan, we need clear targets at a national and local level to boost the supply of homes that are genuinely affordable and appropriate. 

And of course, if you want to do your bit to end homelessness, we’d love for as many individuals and groups here in Goulburn to partner with us in our goal to end homelessness by participating in a sleepout this year.

For more information and to register for Mission Australia’s 30 Years of Sleepout visit www.missionaustralia.com.au/sleepout