About the challenge
Being homeless is not a choice. It can and does happen to anyone.
Increased costs of living, a lack of affordable housing, and the impact of domestic and family violence can all be factors contributing to Australia’s homelessness crisis.
Sleep In Your Car challenges you to sleep overnight in your vehicle to help raise vital funds for Australians without a safe place to call home. Choose your night(s) in October to face the realities of homelessness. It’s a bad night’s sleep for a good cause.
Across the country, individuals and teams will spend the night in their vehicles to help raise awareness and crucial funds for the 122,000 people experiencing homelessness in Australia on any given night¹.
Your participation in Sleep In Your Car will provide crucial, nationwide support services to help more children, families and individuals who are doing it especially tough.
¹Source: ABS (2021)
Melinda & Katy's story
On the surface, Katy*’s life seemed normal. She liked to sing, and dance…
But at home, Katy wasn’t safe.
Most nights, her dad’s yelling and her mum’s muffled screaming filled the house. On particularly bad evenings, Katy could hear plates being thrown.
When her mum, Melinda*, finally made the difficult decision to leave her abusive partner, she packed Katy’s belongings and they drove off together in the car.
The car soon became their ‘home’.
Melinda thought sleeping in the car would only be for a short while until she could find somewhere affordable and permanent, but days turned into weeks.
When Melinda found Mission Australia online, our team helped Katy and Melinda access emergency accommodation and apply for permanent housing. Katy now has a bed to call her own and Melinda finally has a safe home to raise her daughter.
*Names and images have been changed to protect the identity of the people we help.
Mission Australia in numbers
13.6%
of our population lives below the poverty line*
160,520
people supported last year by Mission Australia
89%
of our income spent on service delivery
About
Mission Australia
At Mission Australia, we believe every person should have access to a safe, secure place to call home.
Guided by our Strategy 2030, we aim to deliver more safe, secure homes and expand our impact to meet human need in Australia.
We believe a person’s circumstances shouldn’t define their future and that given the right support, everyone can reach their full potential. Through our range of support services including mental health, financial relief, training and employment and more, we help people on their journey towards independence.
“Will you Sleep in Your Car this October to support our work?”
“This uncomfortable challenge is an unfortunate reality for many Australians. But not if we work together to change it.”
Sharon Callister, CEO Mission Australia
