Police come together to help reduce homelessness
Constable Aspin tried but couldn’t get comfy!
Vinnies School and Community Sleepouts give you a glimpse into the realities of homelessness by ‘sleeping rough’ for a night to raise awareness and funds for Vinnies homelessness services.
This year the Vinnies Corporate Sleepout held at Barlow Park last month saw numbers down on previous years.
Local Saint Vinnies staff, State Candidate for Cairns Sam Marino and three brave officers from the Cairns City Police Beat all challenged themselves to a night out sleeping rough in sleeping bags and on beds of cardboard.
Thanks to the team at Saint Vinnies, those attending were kept warm with tea and coffee and fed with sausages on bread. For those wanting an optional gourmet meal, there was BBQ or tomato sauce on offer.
Acting Inspector Gary Hunter said the concrete was unforgiving and definitely not one of his better nights sleeps.
“With more than 105,000 Australians homeless each night, with many women and a quarter of that total kids under the age of 18, everyone in the community has a part to play in trying to reduce homelessness,” Acting Inspector Hunter said.
“Front line police operating in the Cairns CBD are commonly confronted with people sleeping rough. We are regularly transporting and diverting the homeless to shelters and places of safety.
“The Officer in Charge of the City Police Beat is a member of the Cairns Homelessness Taskforce which has a multi-agency approach to reduce the number of people that are homeless in Cairns.
“We acknowledge that sometimes it doesn’t take much to land someone homeless, so our message is clear. We are here to help and can provide the appropriate referral assistance to you and your family. It’s just a matter of asking for help.”
Cold hard cement and no mates at the Vinnies Corporate Sleepout
Source: Cairns Crime Alert
