Australian executives to taste homelessness personally

A single winter night when chief executives sleep rough in support of homeless people is the St Vincent de Paul Society’s second-largest fund-raiser in Australia.

A philanthropist and a Pfizer managing director will be among the business executives who will sleep under the stars in June in a major Vinnies fundraiser according to Australiancatholics.com.au

“There is a tendency to say it’s [homelessness] a government responsibility. This says it’s everyone’s responsibility,” the NSW Minister for Community Services, Linda Burney, said at the launch yesterday of this year’s event, the Sydney Morning Herald reports. Executives put to the task, sleeping out for the homeless

“It’s consciousness raising. It’s keeping the issue front of mind. Clearly, times are difficult in a budgetary sense for all governments but I don’t believe that has lessened the commitment to homelessness.”

The society hopes to raise $250,000 from people sponsoring chief executives.