By Ashleigh Fielding | posted on August 3, 2017
THIS year’s Sleep Out event in the Albany Town Square on August 10 will be used to raise vital funds to provide the most basic shelter for homeless people in the Great Southern.
The event is one of the major fundraisers during National Homelessness Week, and members from the Albany Youth Support Association, Albany Public Library and the City of Albany will be amongst others sleeping “rough” for a night.
Commencing at 5pm, community members are asked to experience what 1 in 200 Australians experience every night, by sleeping outdoors in tents, swags and sleeping bags.
This event will provide a fundraising opportunity for the purchase of additional ‘backpack beds’, to be distributed throughout Great Southern homelessness services.
Albany Youth Support Association has been providing youth homelessness services for more than 30 years.
“We have a unique responsibility in the Great Southern community in providing crisis accommodation support, early intervention and long-term transitions for young people moving out of homelessness,” AYSA CEO Rick England said.
“People often ask, is there homelessness in the Great Southern?
“With 60 per cent of rough sleepers outside major cities, 40 per cent of couch surfers in country towns and 55% per cent of people sleeping in severely overcrowded dwellings also in rural locations, the answer is yes.
“42% of the homeless population are under 25 years of age, and when we consider the long- term impact of this on the next generation, the cost to our society, it is very significant.
“As member of this community, I am interested in making homelessness history.”
This year’s Sleep Out event will include entertainment and community activities for all ages, including access to the library.
Monetary donations to Homelessness Week and funds for whole backpack beds can be processed via the Paperbark Merchants website at paperbarks. com.au.
