Hastings agents raise homelessness awareness at inaugural Real Estate Sleep Out

Port News' Sue Fitzgerald and Bronwyn Herden grasped at fleeting moments of sleep and bunkered down to endure a chilly night all in the name of homelessness awareness.

Knowing many people battle these conditions nightly was enough for the gathering of Hastings real estate agents and their supporters to do it rough without complaint.

It was a wake up call about the plight of homelessness right here in the Hastings.

Each participant in the inaugural Real Estate Sleep Out had a cardboard box and sleeping bag they were to call home as the overnight event kicked off on August 19 at Town Beach in Port Macquarie.

"It was cold and already so dark that you can't see people's faces, even at 6.30pm it's scary," said Mrs Herden.

"I woke up several times because it's very hard and uncomfortable to try to sleep on a piece of dirt and cardboard," said Mrs Fitzgerald.

"Just moving around you'd get cold, it certainly isn't a restful deep sleep."

The pair took part in the overnight challenge alongside local property experts raising $11,647 in funds to help homeless Australians.

Individuals and teams raised money for Father Chris Riley's Youth Off The Streets charity before sleeping out at the beach from 6pm to 6.30am.

"I'd never even slept in a tent so to be outside was just another level of uncomfortableness," said Mrs Fitzgerald.

Mrs Herden said they were eager to countdown the minutes to sunrise.

"It was just so cold and so hard," she said.

"Many people may only have gotten an hour to two hours sleep for the whole night."

After the pair raised $1606 and spent the night sleeping rough, they have gained new perspective on homelessness.

"We had a very privileged experience of being homeless for the night," said Mrs Fitzgerald.

"To be homeless, then just get up and have a shower, put on clean clothes and face the world is just not reality in that situation.

"It's something I'd like to do with the kids next time because it was an eye-opener and until you've experienced that you don't really understand."

Mrs Herden said it is a very scary and a very dehumanising way to live.

"To have to do that every night would just be horrendous. You would get in a cycle of being too tired to function," she said.

"We couldn't function the next day at all and that was just one night. You can see how hard it must be if people are trying to find work as well.

"It's an important cause and with enough money we have the power to change this. It's not about research or science. As Australians we can make a difference and change a life."

Participants received a Real Estate Sleep Out beanie, cardboard box and food to get them through the night.

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