Dan's story

"It’s both humbling and empowering to be part of St Vincent’s fight to end homelessness."

During 2018 I experienced my second Vinnies CEO Sleepout. These two experiences have had a profound impact on me and changed my perspective on homelessness within Australia.

On the night itself we have the chance to speak with people who have experienced homelessness and used Vinnies services. These discussions really opened my eyes to the reality of how people end up in this situation and how relatively easy it is to “fall through the cracks”, through an unfortunate turn of events such as job loss, family illness, or marriage breakdown. Ensuring that there are places like Vinnies to help people get back on their feet is just so important.

Waking up in the morning after ‘sleeping rough’ is an eye-opener. We can all go home to a hot shower, breakfast and loving family – but knowing that many others around Australia don’t have the same opportunity makes you want to do more to help, and also makes you value what you have.

I encourage as many of my peers as possible to get involved in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout to gain greater insight into homelessness in Australia. It is a humbling experience, and empowering to know that in some small way you are contributing to this incredibly important issue.

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