Published on Tuesday, 6 August 2019 at 8:57:46 AM
Sleeping bags, swags and blankets will fill the Town Square this Thursday night for Albany’s Big Sleep Out in the Town Square to raise awareness and funds for homelessness and the City is encouraging the community to show its support.
Executive Director Community Services Susan Kay will be among those volunteering to put themselves in the shoes of the homeless and sleep rough for the cause.
Hosted by Albany Community Foundation, the Big Sleep Out is part of Homelessness Week, which aims to highlight the plight of the one in every 200 Australians who find themselves homeless on any given night.
That is about five per cent of Australia’s population sleeping on the streets and of these, just under 18,000 are under the age of 12 years and about 10,000 are between 12 and 18 years old.
City of Albany Chief Executive Officer Andrew Sharpe said homelessness was as much an issue in rural communities like Albany as it was in big cities and he praised the work of local support services and organisations to help those in need.
“We have some very good organisations and agencies in Albany trying really hard to help our homeless and bring some comfort to their lives.
“An event like this really gives a whole new sense of what those who are homeless in our community experience so we’re very proud to be supporting the Big Sleep Out again and thank those involved in this important cause.
“People become homeless for many reasons, including family violence, unemployment, public housing shortages and health issues, so by taking part in an event like this we hope we can shine a light on homelessness and also come together as a community to show we care.”
The Big Sleep Out includes interactive displays from community and agencies. As well as the sleep out, the City is hosting “Couch Conversations” in the Library on Tuesday, August 6 from 5.30pm with guest speakers and a screening of a locally produced documentary on homelessness.
People can pledge support to the cause by fundraising or making a donation. For more information on how you can help, visit https://www.acfwa.com.au/current-events. All funds go directly to the Homelessness Fund set up to support local agencies in assisting homeless and disadvantaged people.
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