Sydney TAFE Director, David Riordan, will be participating in his fifth Vinnies CEO Sleepout charity event in Sydney on 23 June​.

David, along with hundreds of business leaders, will be spending the night sleeping rough, with a beanie, sleeping bag, cardboard box and a cup of soup. It's all to assist homeless people who range from individuals to families.

Every dollar raised helps provide crucial assistance to people experiencing homelessness. The aim is to permanently break that vicious cycle of homelessness for as many people as possible.

In 2015, NSW CEOs raised well over $2 million. The donations funded initiatives in the community including:

• crisis accommodation and specialised services for families and individuals who are experiencing homelessness
• early intervention and prevention services and programs - Ozanam Learning Centre supported over 12,000 people through case management and early intervention and prevention services and programs, and ran almost 300 programs for over 9,000 participants focused on education and training. 

Homelessness is a major issue in Australia. More than 100,000 Australians are classed as homeless and tens of thousands of these homeless sleeping rough most nights. TAFE NSW has played a major role over the years by providing training and support to those who are homeless and those at risk of homelessness – but there is more work to be done.