Page 9 - NLN June18

Local business owner, Helen Paddon, will
take part in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout charity
VINNIES CEO event this year, for the second year running.
Sleepout

The one-night event takes place on the Winter Solstice,
which falls on the 21st of June and will see hundreds
of CEOs, business owners and community and
government leaders sleep outdoors in order to raise
funds to assist Vinnies to provide essential services to
people doing it tough.
Homelessness can affect anyone - but it
disproportionately affects people living with disability
or mental illness, and people who have experienced
abuse. Through events like the CEO Sleepout, Vinnies are
raising public awareness and helping Queenslanders
break the cycle of poverty for good.
At the event last year, the Vinnies CEO Sleepout raised 5.6
million dollars for people experiencing homelessness.
The Brisbane and Gold Coast 2017 events raised more
than $1 million, which went towards housing and other
support for people facing homelessness. This year, they
are hoping they can make an even bigger impact.
At the event, Vinnies CEO Peter Maher announced
the purchase of over six million dollars of housing in
Queensland. The housing, located in Cairns, Mackay,
Toowoomba and Brisbane, is used to provide safe,
secure and affordable accommodation for individuals
and families who would otherwise have no place
to call home.
“It was definitely an eye-
Vinnies Queensland has been involved in providing
housing to the homeless for over forty years and has
opener, for everything
recently established the Vinnies Housing Company
to manage their properties. Since 2008, when the
I take for granted each
Society owned just forty-two properties, Vinnies
has made it a priority to invest in housing for people
day, like food, water,
facing homelessness or who are at risk. The Society
shelter, hot showers,
now owns more than four hundred and fifty properties
across Queensland, that people experiencing severe
and private amenities”
disadvantage call home. Vinnies Queensland provides
support, helping people transition to independent
tenancies in the private or public housing sector,
providing them with a hand up, not just a hand out.
Last year, as a first time CEO Sleepout volunteer, Helen
braved the cold winds under Brisbanes’Story Bridge. She
was reminded of her past and of her own experiences
of homelessness.
Helen first experienced homelessness when she was
8. “As a child, we lived in a caravan park for about 18
months and moved around quite a lot because my
parents didn’t have the financial stability to rent a
property on a long-term basis. There were a few nights
when we slept in the family car because we didn’t have
anywhere to live. It was freezing and I didn’t get more
than two hours sleep all night.”
“It’s heartbreaking to know that there are over 105,000
Australians experiencing homelessness each and every
night, with many more at risk. Many are sleeping on the
street with less than I had,” said Helen.
Now, CEO of Tradettes Plumbing, Helen has a goal of
raising over $5000 this year to fight homelessness. As at
the time of writing, she has successfully raised $1,172.00.

Can you help? If you would like to donate please visit -
www.ceosleepout.org.au/fundraisers/helen-yost
June 2018 www.northlakesnow.com.au 9