ROTARIANS slept in their cars, outside in tents, or on couches to help the homeless on the Mornington Peninsula for one night last week.
Mount Martha Rotary club president Roger Skipsey said members were happy to “do it tough” to support Fusion Mornington Peninsula’s annual Sleep In Your Car event. The experience on Saturday 1 August gave them an insight into what it means to be homeless.
The Rotarians usually aid the cause by sleeping rough and running a barbecue at Mornington Park but this year, because of coronavirus restrictions, they held a “virtual” sleep-out which raised $1690. This amount will be added to the $25,325 Fusion’s overall event has currently raised.
The cause is urgent: On any given night, 116,427 people are recorded as homeless. About 42 per cent are aged under 25.
The Sleep In Your Car event was held in the lead up to Homelessness Week (2-8 August) which is now in its sixth year.
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 11 August 2020
