In late 2022, I had the opportunity to participate in the Anglicare WA Sleep Out. The Anglicare Sleep Out is an annual event that aims to raise awareness and funds for homelessness and poverty in Western Australia. Participants are invited to spend a night sleeping rough, experiencing what it’s like to live without the security of a home, while also raising funds to support Anglicare’s programs that help those in need. Some programs include emergency relief, housing support, and youth services. These programs provide vital support to vulnerable members of the community, helping them to overcome the challenges they face and to rebuild their lives. I was able to raise $750.
The Experience:
The Sleep Out was held at Optus Stadium, where we slept on a thin peice of cardboard with our sleeping bags, out on the concourse with a roof over our heads but exposed to the chilly night. Before we slept, we went into small groups and were assigned the persona of a fictional homeless person. Our aim was to complete many tasks in the given time period to make our persona’s situation more comfortable (like finding a friends house to stay in or gaining the forms to recieve food), however we were faced with many challenges such as support places being ‘closed’, or not having the necessary details to recieve the help needed. In many cases, the inability to attain the requirements meant that we had to ‘sleep on the street’ which meant we had to sit for a certain amount of time instead of spending it completing the tasks.
Later on in the night, we recieved food, which was a cup of soup. This is barely enough to sustain a healthy body, highlighting one of the major challenges that homeless people have to face.
Falling asleep was a difficult task, as the floor was uncomfortable and not warming. To make it worse, during the night, disruptive sounds such as barking dogs, and sirens would play through a megaphone that someone would carry around as they walked through everyone sleeping.
Overall, the Anglicare Sleep Out is a powerful event that brings attention to the issue of homelessness and allowed me to gain a deeper understanding of the challenges faced by those who are experiencing homelessness, and appreciate how lucky I am.
Donate here: https://anglicare-wa.raisely.com/donate