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Sleeping out to help the homeless
1 June 2010
The Executive Director of NorthWestern Mental Health, Assoc Prof Alexandra Cockram, will be giving up her creature comforts for a night to take part in CEO Sleepout and experience what many people with mental illness face on a regular basis.
This national event will take place on Thursday, 17 June 2010. In addition to raising funds for St Vincent de Paul’s homeless services, it also aims to increase awareness of homelessness throughout Melbourne and Australia.
NorthWestern Mental Health (NWMH) is one of Australia’s largest public mental health services. The service treats over 13,000 clients every year. Many of those who live with mental illness also struggle with short-term accommodation arrangements and no place to call home.
Assoc Prof Cockram has seen the impact of homelessness in her work.
“Homelessness adds unnecessary extra hurdles for people trying to manage their mental illness. Unstable or absent housing prevents people from getting on with their lives and doing things that the rest of us take for granted; whether it’s providing an address to receive a letter or simply knowing you have a safe warm place to go to every night,” Assoc Prof Cockram said.
As of 1 June 2010, Assoc Prof Cockram has raised $1880, mostly from colleagues, family and friends who have an insight into the impact of homelessness.
“This event also presents an opportunity to highlight the important work that NWMH clinical staff do to assist people living with mental illness who become homeless. Whether this is through specific services such as the Homeless Outreach Psychiatry Service (HOPS) or through the work many of our other clinical teams do across the communities of northern and western Melbourne,” she said.
At the last Census, 104,700 Australians were counted as homeless. In Victoria alone, there are 20,500 homeless people. St Vincent de Paul is one of the many homeless organisations that NWMH works with to support those who have a mental illness and are sleeping rough.
Homelessness affects many people in many ways. Families may be struggling with under-employment or unemployment, mothers and their children may have escaped domestic violence, and young people may have become estranged from their family and found themselves on the streets. These and many other people, make up the faces of homelessness across Australia.
“St Vincent de Paul does a great job of supporting the many vulnerable people in our community. They provide a housing service in the northern and western metropolitan areas of Melbourne, assist people to locate suitable accommodation and also provide financial support in emergencies – all of which helps people to go on with or re-establish their lives,” Assoc Prof Cockram said.
“Sleeping out overnight, although in a controlled setting, is an opportunity to experience a night in the cold and to raise awareness of the connection between mental illness and unstable or absent housing. With your support, CEO Sleepout can make a difference,” she said.
To sponsor Assoc Prof Alexandra Cockram for CEO Sleepout, please visit http://www.ceosleepout.org.au/
Media contact: Irene Salkunas, Melbourne Health Public Affairs 03 9342 8757 / 0419 339 084
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