Real estate leaders from across the country will spend a night sleeping out in the cold next week to raise vital funds and awareness for people experiencing homelessness.
Property leaders and professionals will be dressing in their warmest clothes as they prepare to sleep outside on one of the coldest nights of the year with little more than a sleeping bag.
Chief executives, business owners and team members from LJ Hooker, Woodards, Ray White, Raine and Horne, and more will join hundreds of others for the 20th Vinnies CEO Sleepout on Thursday 19 June.
The annual event raises millions of dollars each year for charity St Vincent de Paul Society and the support and services that it provides to vulnerable Aussies nationwide.
Sleepouts will be held in cities and towns across the country, pushing people from all walks of life beyond their comfort zones as they spend a night trying to sleep on the cold, hard ground.
At the Sydney sleepout, LJ Hooker chief executive Christine Mikhael will join hundreds of others for her fourth year of sleeping out.
“After nearly 40 years in real estate, I’ve seen how central housing is to people’s security and identity and how easy it is for homelessness to be left out of the conversation,” Ms Mikhael said, who was serving as an ambassador for the Sydney event for a second year.
LJ Hooker chief executive Christine Mikhael will join the Sydney sleepout for a fourth year. Picture: Supplied
“We talk about affordability and supply every day, but that means very little to someone who’s locked out of the system altogether, living one day at a time.
“The Sleepout doesn’t replicate homelessness, but it does give space to stop, listen, and think about what more we can do. This isn’t something our industry can afford to look past.
“We are privileged every day to help provide shelter to those who can afford it - this is something we can do for those who can’t.”
In Sydney alone, more than 3,400 people were turned away from Vinnies’ housing services over the past 12 months due to a lack of resources. Crisis beds were near full across all service providers, with women aged over 55 the fastest-growing group facing homelessness.
Woodards executive chairman John Piccolo and the Woodards team have raised enough funds to donate eight Vinnies soup vans over the years, with hopes to donate a ninth van this year. Picture: Supplied
In Melbourne, Woodards Real Estate executive chairman John Piccolo and many from the Woodards team will be participating in next week’s event.
It will be the ninth sleepout for Mr Piccolo, who was also an ambassador of the sleepout and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars for Vinnies over the years.
Mr Piccolo said he understood just how essential shelter was, as someone who came from humble beginnings.
“When we arrived in Australia, it was just my mum and I and a trunk, and while we didn’t have a lot of money, we always had shelter,” he said.
Raine and Horne Commercial Canberra managing director Mark Nicholls will be joining the Canberra sleepout this year. Picture: Supplied
“It wasn’t the Ritz, but it was better than no shelter.
“Personally, I think those early days instilled the right values and work ethic in me, and now I see the sleepout as an opportunity to give back.”
The Woodards team has raised enough money over the years to donate eight soup vans to Vinnies, and Mr Piccolo wants to raise more funds this year to fund a ninth van.
The Vinnies soup vans are run by volunteers and offer food, social connection and support to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
At the Adelaide sleepout, Ray White South Australia and Northern Territory chief executive Matt Lindblom will be spend a night with many others at the city's zoo.
Mr Lindblom said he was passionate about everyone in Australia having a safe place to sleep and call home.
“We live in the luckiest country in the world and we should be doing more to make sure everyone in Australia is taken care of,” he said.
“We can all play a part in making this happen, it's not just up to the government or not for profit organisations, if we all contribute and help, then homelessness can one day become a thing of the past.”
And in Canberra, Raine and Horne Commercial Canberra principal and managing director Mark Nicholls and his team will be joining the capital’s sleepout for the third time.
“We see a lot of people experiencing homelessness around Canberra, so the sleepout is a good cause to get behind,” he said.
“My wife, who also works in the business, volunteers with the Vinnies night van and she sees their stories firsthand, so it’s a cause that’s close to our hearts.”
Western Australia will hold its sleepout on Thursday 26 June. To learn more or donate, visit ceosleepout.org.au.
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