Support Beyond the Sleepout

For the past 15 years the Vinnies CEO Sleepout has seen business and community leaders brave the cold and get educated about Australia’s homelessness crisis while raising much-needed funds for Vinnies’ homelessness services.

Offering a glimpse into the hardship faced by more than 116,000 people across the country, participants are challenged to go beyond the night and make a commitment to support our most vulnerable through their workplaces.

For Jamie Osborn, it’s a challenge he has embraced. Determined to go beyond one night of sleeping out, Jamie has implemented a number of initiatives aimed at addressing disadvantage for his 130 employees to take part in, including clothing drives and giving out-of-warranty office computers to individuals and families doing it tough through Vinnies’ network of Conferences in Sydney’s inner west.

Founding the online lending company, GetCapital, back in 2014, Jamie’s connection to Vinnies started early.

“My parents ran a mobile catering business back in the 70s and 80s where I grew up in Western Australia,” Jamie explains, “they had a close affiliation with Vinnies where they’d donate leftover food at the end of the day.”

“So from an early age it put in my mind that it was important to give back.”

Set to sleep outside on Thursday evening, with his daughter on board too, Jamie cites the personal stories of people who have experienced homelessness as the aspect that motivates him to return year after year, knowing that it can truly happen to anyone.

“Many of the people who share their stories were living middle class lifestyles in the not too distant past and found themselves through a series of mishaps falling into homelessness or sleeping rough.”

While still in its infancy, Jamie and his team at GetCapital plan to roll out their biggest program yet in the coming months through a back-to-work program for people who have fallen on hard times.

“When you’ve been knocked down so many times it can be hard to find the skills and confidence to get back into the workforce.”

“We wanted to offer assistance with resume writing, how to show up to an interview, what questions you might get asked, what to wear.”

“It’s a goal we’re looking forward to post-COVID.”

Raising over $25,000 in the three years he has taken part in the Vinnies CEO Sleepout, Jamie is encouraging everyone to show their support at a time when it’s needed most.

“(With COVID-19) I think it’s particularly important to go above and beyond to raise as much money as possible.”

“There’s lot of charities out there, but it’s rare to find a situation and organisation, like Vinnies, where you can see very, very directly the impact of the money raised.”

The Vinnies CEO Sleepout takes place across Australia on Thursday 18 June. You can live-stream the event from 7.30-9.30pm at www.ceosleepout.org.au