1700 Canberrans Homeless: Vinnies Calls for Action

By Veronika Cox 3 April 2025 0

L-R Andrew Harper, Deputy Director of MoAD, Ben Hastings, CEO of ALLBIDS, Lucy Hohnen, CEO of St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn.

Ben Hastings remembers the fear of not knowing where he would sleep at night.

“That uncertainty is something I still carry with me today,” he said at the launch of the Vinnies CEO Sleepout on Thursday morning.

“I had a pretty rough upbringing and left home at 15. That’s why this is so personal for me.”

As a Sleepout ambassador, Mr Hastings, now CEO of Allbids, has pledged his support to vulnerable Canberrans.

“I know from experience that homelessness is not merely about not having a roof over your head,” he said.

“Many of us don’t understand the extent of homelessness in the Canberra region because it is hidden from view.”

Vinnies Canberra/Goulburn CEO Lucy Hohnen said on any given night, more than 1700 Canberrans are homeless.

“This is the figure from the census, which tells us people who want to be counted,” she said.

“We know the number is a lot higher than this.”

Homelessness, she continued, is not just an uncomfortable statistic.

“These numbers represent individuals, families, women escaping violence, young people and workers who are forced to sleep in their cars, sleep on couches, or sleep on the streets,” Ms Hohnen said.

“No one ever expects to find themselves without a home, but it doesn’t take much for a physical or mental illness, domestic or family violence, job loss or rising living costs to tip anybody into crisis.”

The 2025 Vinnies CEO Sleepout will be held on 19 June – one of the longest nights of the year.

General Manager of Early Learning Leah Taylor accepted Catholic Education’s award for the highest fundraising team at the 2024 Sleepout.

“We raise awareness so that homelessness is not ignored,” Ms Hohnen said.

“We raise funds so that Vinnies can provide help and lift people out of crisis, and we also raise hope because no one should have to face homelessness alone.”

The fundraiser will gather CEOs, managing directors and business and community leaders together to spend a winter night in the courtyard of the Museum of Australian Democracy at Old Parliament House. It is Vinnies’ biggest fundraiser event of the year.

“Year on year, we have seen a significant increase in demand for our services due to ongoing cost of living and housing pressures,” Ms Hohnen said.

“We currently receive 130 calls a day to our crisis helpline from people desperate for help. That’s a lot of calls.”

In the past six months, 700 Canberrans and their families have sought emergency assistance from Vinnies on more than five occasions.

“These are 700 local households that need help to cover the very basics—food, rent, and other essential costs—so they don’t slip into homelessness,” Ms Hohnen said.

The 2025 Vinnies CEO Sleepout aims to raise $850,000 to provide vital support to those in need.

Catholic Education Canberra and Goulburn received the top fundraiser award for 2024, with a group of principals raising more than $62,000.