ROUGH sleeping has reached crisis proportions on the Mornington Peninsula and, as winter starts to bite, Southern Peninsula Community Support will host a Winter SleepOut on Friday 31 July, to raise awareness and much-needed funds for its critical frontline work.
SPCS CEO Jeremy Maxwell says the Mornington Peninsula has the highest number of rough sleepers in Victoria, and the escalating homelessness crisis in the area is stretching capacity to respond.
“We are seeing increasing numbers of people sleeping rough every day, and we are completely overstretched. Seven people have died on the foreshore in the last 18 months. We receive no government funding for our outreach programs, so we’re hoping the Southern Peninsula SleepOut will be opportunity for our local community to better understand the complexity of the issue, and why funding our work is so vital.” said Maxwell.
The idea for the Southern Peninsula SleepOut was initiated by the owners of The Ranch Adventure Park in Boneo, Jodi and Aaron Neary, who will host the event on their property. Neary says after seeing the important work of Southern Peninsula Community Support up close, her team felt compelled to do something about it.
“Having the property that we do, we just thought how about we have a winter sleep out? It’s all about raising awareness and raising much needed funds for people in our community doing it tough, and the people who are doing their best to support them.” said Neary.
Funds raised on the night will support the Southern Peninsula Community Support’s Outreach Programs including Homeless Connections outreach workers and the mobile SPLASH program for men and women to shower, wash their clothes, have something to eat and connect with other services to assist them.
“We know one night in a safe outdoor place doesn’t compare in any way to surviving a winter on the foreshore,” said Maxwell
“But without the government funding, it’s the support of our community that makes it possible for us to deliver the critical outreach programs that are literally keeping people alive.
“We’re inviting people to sleep out, speak up and make a difference.”
The Southern Peninsula SleepOut is open to members of the public to sleep overnight in their own tent or vehicle and hear more about Southern Peninsula Community Support’s outreach programs and services currently funded by philanthropic and community partners.
The Southern Peninsula SleepOut ill be held on Friday 31 July at The Ranch Adventure Park, 810 Boneo Road, Boneo. To book your spot head to: theranchmp.com.au/winter-sleepout
First published in the Mornington News – 30 June 2026
