The head of Victoria’s environmental regulator will swap his bed at home for a sleeping bag and pieces of cardboard in June to help raise awareness of homelessness.
Environment Protection Authority Victoria (EPA) Chief Executive Officer, Nial Finegan will participate in St Vincent de Paul Victoria’s CEO Sleepout which aims to raise $700,000 for the Vinnies soup vans and other volunteer services that help the state’s homeless population.
Hosted annually during winter in every state and territory, the sleepout raised over $6.5 million nationally in 2016. Mr Finegan’s fundraising target is $5,000.
“Over 725,000 people live below the poverty line in Victoria and 2.5 million people nationwide,” Mr Finegan said.
“Despite these statistics, homelessness is an issue that often goes unnoticed. We need to collectively support the role of volunteer organisations like Vinnies who raise community awareness about life below the poverty line and help people in need,” he said.
Mr Finegan will join CEOs, business and community leaders from across Victoria at 6pm on Thursday 22 June until 7am Friday 23 June at the University of Melbourne’s South Lawn Underground Carpark.
As part of the event, Mr Finegan will speak face-to-face with people experiencing poverty and homelessness.
“I welcome the opportunity to not only raise funds for the important work Vinnies’ volunteers do, but to better understand what it’s like for people experiencing homelessness every night.”
To sponsor Mr Finegan, visit ceosleepout.org.au