Vinnies CEO sleepout at Adelaide Oval draws 130 leaders to raise funds for homeless

WITH only sleeping bags for warmth and pieces of cardboard to use as quasi mattresses, more than 130 SA CEOs, business leaders and politicians got a taste of what it’s like to experience homelessness.

• SA’s worsening hidden homelessness crisis

WITH only sleeping bags for warmth and pieces of cardboard to use as quasi mattresses, more than 130 CEOs, business leaders and politicians got a taste of what it’s like to experience homelessness.

As temperatures dipped to around 5C on Thursday night, the community leaders feasted on soup and a simple sausage in bread to sustain them through the 2018 Vinnies CEO Sleepout at Adelaide Oval.

The annual event, during which participants sleep rough for a night, raises much-needed funds for the St Vincent de Paul Society, which provides support services and crisis care for homeless and vulnerable people.

This year’s sleepout is expected to raise about $650,000 for the cause.

News Corp’s Nadja Fleet and Sandra Ogden finish their last meal (a sausage) before the Vinnies CEO sleepout. Picture: AAP / Matt Loxton

Bank SA chief executive Nick Reade is the nation’s top fundraiser so far, collecting more than $172,000 this year, surpassing the $164,105 he raised in 2017 and bringing the total amount he has raised for Vinnies over the years to $650,000.

“When we’re in a position to help out fellow South Australians in trouble, I believe that it’s important that we do so,” Mr Reade said.

“I’m really proud of my entire team who’ve worked tirelessly to help raise this money and make a real difference in our community.

“Sleeping out for a night provides a small insight into the daily struggle for thousands of people who are currently experiencing homelessness — and it’s a humbling experience.”

SkyCity Adelaide Casino general manager Luke Walker and BankSA CEO Nick Reade get comfy at Adelaide Oval for the Vinnies CEO sleepout. Picture: AAP / Matt Loxton

SkyCity Adelaide Casino general manager Luke Walker is in second place in SA with $35,900.

“I got involved in the first place (because) I’d had some insight in my time in Melbourne, helping out in a soup kitchen and running around the MCG on a Monday night and seeing all the homeless people,” Mr Walker said.

“These days, in 2018, you just don’t expect that we would have such a size problem with homelessness.”

Opposition Leader Peter Malinauskas has taken part in the sleepout in previous years and this time convinced his Labor frontbench colleagues to join him.

However, some members of his team were coping better than others in the “bloody cold” weather.

“Some of the girls have done a lot less complaining than some of the fellas, I’ll say that,” he said.

Mr Malinauskas said his team had raised almost $25,000 so far but were working the phones overnight to drum up more support.

“If there was a silver bullet to fix homelessness someone would have fired it a long time ago so being able to talk to industry leaders here tonight and to be able to talk to people from the community sector and work out what more we can do...is a pretty good start,” he said.

St Vincent de Paul Society SA CEO David Wark agreed.

“Very rarely can you get a group of influential people together ...(and) we get to tell them the story of the poor and those that are in crisis,” he said.

Mr Wark said more affordable housing and mental health services, as well as ways to stop child abuse, were needed to reduce homelessness.