News
14 October, 2025
Rough nights for change
TWO charities say the deaths of three homeless individuals in Moreton Bay and Brisbane over the past month have led them to “sleep rough” over the past weekend to raise awareness and funds.
Moreton Bay charity Nourish Street and Brisbane charity Northwest Community Group hosted the Real CEO Sleepout from October 10 to October 12, raising nearly $14,000 to support people experiencing homelessness.
Beau Haywood, co-founder of Nourish Street, and Paul Slater of Northwest Community Group, spent two nights sleeping rough in Brisbane CBD, equipped with nothing more than sleeping bags, and relying exclusively on local charitable services for sustenance and support.
The initiative coincided with International Homelessness Day and aimed to bring urgent attention to the realities of homelessness in South East Queensland.
Their experience began outside the council chambers in Brisbane, but they were moved on by security within minutes. Attempting to find alternative shelter, they ended up at the Botanical Gardens where the pair got no more than an hour sleep between swarms of mosquitos, possums and toads running around, constant traffic noises, and sprinklers forcing them to stay on the move.
“The sleepout was pretty rough,” Mr Haywood admitted. “It was rugged and, although I’ve slept rough for many years, I’ve never done that at the CBD. It was an eye opener.”
The following night, the pair joined homeless individuals in Musgrave Park where they endured storms and rain, seeking emergency shelter under a shopfront when severe weather struck.
Describing these conditions, Mr Haywood admitted the entire weekend “was pretty uncomfortable”. “But this was only two days for us, and some of these guys sleep for years like this,” he noted.
Mr Haywood also observed that three hours of sleep per night is the norm among the local homeless population.
In regards to access to support services, Mr Haywood noted it wasn’t entirely reliable. While emergency meals were obtained from Emmanuel City Mission and the Coffee Brigade during Saturday, no services were operating on Saturday night, forcing Mr Haywood and Mr Slater to break their plan of only living off these services, spending their own money on food.
The entire weekend experience was also streamed live on social media, along with interviews with other charities and services, such as Micah Projects CEO, Karyn Walsh.
The sleepout, while designed to increase visibility for the issue and raise funds, also served as a grim reminder that for many, there is no safe refuge and little hope for systemic change without decisive action from authorities.
“It’s to shine a light on a crisis too many look away from,” he said. “It’s to demand change. It’s to remind our leaders that housing is not a privilege, it’s a human right.”
According to Mr Haywood and Mr Slater, three people experiencing homelessness have died over the past month, including two men at Redcliffe who, on both occasions, weren’t found for several days. Both were allegedly found near the new Moreton Bay Peninsula Support Hub.
“People are dying waiting for services,” he said. “They’re dying at the door of these service providers, who provide food and referrals and add your name to a list doing the best they can, but it goes to a bottleneck system.”
Micah Projects CEO, Karyn Walsh, told Mr Haywood and Mr Slater that the “safety net” for people in need is “almost broke now” due to the high demand and complexity of individual situations.
“Single parent benefits and all these safety nets, they were never enough, but they at least worked to a point,” she said. “Now, our safety net is almost broken.”
To view the full interview with Ms Walsh visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fagi81DstcU
To donate to Nourish Street and Northwest Community Group visit shoutforgood.com/fundraisers/the-real-ceo-sleepout
