ON ANY given night in Australia, 116,000 people are homeless. This is according to the organisers of a ‘sleep out’ in the Hawkesbury designed to raise awareness about the plight of locals experiencing the set-back.
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Platform Youth Services - a provider of homelessness and housing support for young people - will host the sleep out dubbed Grand Night Out in the grandstand at Richmond Park on Friday, August 10 to mark Homelessness Week (August 6-12).
The event will see volunteers sponsored to give up their warm, comfortable beds to sleep in the elements for the night, to experience a taste of what it would be like to be homeless.
Attendees will have the opportunity to meet workers on the frontline of the homelessness crisis, while helping raise awareness and resources for young people aged 12-25 years at risk or experiencing homelessness.
A number of service providers and businesses have come on-board to support the event, including The Salvation Army, Rotary, Hawkesbury City Council, Hawkesbury Sports Council, YMCA and McDonald’s.
Stephanie Oatley, Platform Youth Services CEO, said she hopes to use the opportunity to talk about the issues that are driving homelessness in the Hawkesbury, Blue Mountains and Nepean areas - in particular the vulnerability and marginalisation of young people.
Ms Oatley said a housing affordability crisis had created a dire shortage of affordable options for people on very low incomes: “Young people need access to safe, secure, affordable and supported accommodation.”
Platform Youth Services is reportedly experiencing “unprecedented demand” for its services.
Of the 700 young people Platform supported during 2017-18, the three main reasons for seeking assistance were housing crisis, relationship/family breakdown, and disengagement with school/education/training. Over 30 per cent identified as Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander.
A statement from the organisation said homelessness in Australia has increased by 14 per cent in five years while Federal Government funding for social housing and homelessness has decreased by 16 per cent during the same period.
A concerning two out of five people who are homeless are under the age of 25, it stated.
To register to participate in the sleep out, to register a stall, or to find out more about the event, email events@platformys.org.au or call 0403 084 072. Donations can be made online at www.platformys.org.au/donate/#donatehere.
The organisers are aiming to raise $5,000 so they can put together ‘Refresh and Refuel’ kits for those affected.
