Now the cold weather is setting in, more of us are reaching for a jacket, snuggling under a blanket or even reaching with reluctance to turn on the heating.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The skyrocketing prices of gas and electricity and their effect on households have caused a lot of concern in recent years, and that worry is understandable.
Too many people are being asked to choose between heating their homes or feeding the family as well as paying rent.
Even more tragic, though, is the situation of so many Australians who don't have a home at all.
June is traditionally the month when St Vincent de Paul holds its CEO Sleepout events, at which high-profile community members are given a few basics and wished the best of luck for getting through a cold night outside in the best way they can.
Any resemblance between those otherwise-comfortable people who are spending one night shivering at an orchestrated event and Australians facing genuine homelessness is fleeting at best, but these events do still serve two valuable roles.
The first, obviously, is to raise money for community programs and the second is to get us talking about homelessness in our own communities.
Far too often homeless people fall through the cracks as the transient nature of their daily life often makes it hard for people to successfully access vital services.
In smaller, regional communities it is also likely that these vital services are harder to find, and embarrassment may even stop people coming forward when they do know where to go to find help.
There are no easy answers and certainly no quick fixes, but every time we talk about an event like the CEO Sleepout, we are helping create greater understanding of how complex the issue of homelessness can be.
People could be without a home due to long-term unemployment or it could be due to a relationship breakdown, domestic violence or mental illness.
On any given night, Homelessness Australia estimates, one person in 200 in this country is without a home, and there are no quick fixes.
So when the flurry of publicity hits and the promises are being thrown around about increased assistance for community programs, let’s hope regional areas are not overlooked, and that people in rural Australia who need help can get a helping hand too.
