Raine & Horne Double Bay joins Real Estate Sleepout

Raine & Horne Double Bay are among the many real estate agency's across the country who will be helping to raise money at the upcoming the Real Estate Sleepout at Bondi Beach.

The Real Estate Sleepout, held on the Bondi sand on Monday night, helps fight homelessness as agents and real estate employees sleep rough for the night on the beach.

Raine & Hourne Double Bay's business development manager Matthew Serrao says he is hoping to raise $5,000 for the charity. 

“Whether the kids are homeless due to poverty or child abuse, the statistics are worrying. We want to do our bit to help,” said Mr Serrao, who has raised more than $1,000. 

“We have decided to contribute to at least three charity events each year, as we don’t want to take our good fortune for granted. Just last week, my water supplier cut the water off for 15 minutes, and I was caught short. 

“Then I stopped and thought about those less fortunate on the streets who we are supporting next week.”

With single-digit temperatures forecast for Monday, Serrao said his team is planning for the chilly conditions on one of Australia’s most famous beaches.

“We’re preparing as well as we can. But unlike the tens of thousands of homeless people, we are only living rough for one night,” he said.

“We could easily have just donated some dollars, but by sleeping on the beach for one night, we’re experiencing a little of the horrors of homelessness for ourselves.”

Patrick Cosgrove, associate director of Raine & Horne Double Bay, is supporting the sleepout to promote greater awareness of youth homelessness. Cosgrove has also raised $1,000. 

“I support several charities. However, I’m troubled by the lack of community awareness about the 40,000 children sleeping on the streets every night,” he said.

“When we think of people living on the streets we think of adults, we never think of children.

“This is a great cause because we are helping to provide funding and awareness for people who can’t help themselves.”

Cosgrove said sleeping rough on Bondi Beach will prove to be a fantastic team-building exercise.

“Apart from the team members sleeping on Bondi Beach, most of the other members of our team have got behind the fundraising.”

The event is supporting the work of Father Chris Riley’s Youth off the Street, a nondenominational community organisation that is fighting to reduce the numbers of minors living rough.

On any given night, there are 116,427 homeless Australians, 43,555 of those being young people.