Australia's Parliament House will for the first time hold the annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout.
While some may be used to huddling within the halls of power, this winter business and community leaders will spend the night bedding down in the Parliament House parking lot.
Launching the 15th sleepout at the landmark on Wednesday, Vinnies Canberra/Goulburn said the aim was to raise more than $800,000 to support its work in the ACT and surrounding regions.
Fifty community and business leaders have already signed on and the charity expects about 150 people will take part when the sleepout is held on June 20.
Among them will be Speaker of the House Milton Dick.
"I'm so delighted that the people's house will become St Vinnies house on the 20th of June," Mr Dick said.
"I will be zipping up my sleeper bag to make sure that I am not feeling the elements.
"It can get quite cold in June so we'll be asking people to dig deep to make sure they contribute to this amazing cause"
According to the last census, more than 1700 people were experiencing homeless in the ACT in 2021.
Senate President Sue Lines said the number of people who find themselves "without a place to reside at night is growing".
"Women are particularly vulnerable, older women. Young people we know do a lot of couch-surfing," she said.
"I think that image of old men who are homeless, hopefully is a thing of the past because anyone can find themselves without a home.
"If you're on a modest income, I think the lead time between being given notice on your rental and finding yourself homeless is six weeks."
St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn chief executive Lucy Hohnen said the money raised through the event was vital to its work, helping "those experiencing the very toughest of times".
"Funds raised will continue to build on the momentum from previous sleepouts to respond to an even greater need in our community by providing ongoing funding for additional specialist homelessness caseworkers, to help those sleeping rough transition back into society, by expanding the night patrol teams and introducing a new third route on the road supporting more people than ever before," she said.
Ms Hohnen said the funds will also go towards the expansion of services in the regions to address chronic homelessness.
As part of this year's event, two satellite sleepouts will be held in Young and Merimbula, two New South Wales regions serviced by Canberra/Goulburn Vinnies.
In addition to raising funds, Ms Hohnen said the event also aimed to "raise the profile of the plight of folks in Canberra".
"I think Canberra is one of those very affluent cities and people are surprised when they learn about the numbers of people struggling or at risk of homelessness," she said.
She said the cost-of-living crisis and the housing crisis meant more people were now struggling to make ends meet.
"It also means we're seeing a new cohort of people coming to us for help, people with jobs, families where they may have one or two people actually in a full time position struggling to make ends meet," she said.
"They might be able to hang on to their mortgage payment, they may be able to pay their rent but they can't afford to put food on the table or buy school uniforms and school shoes and we help with those."
