By MELISSA MEEHAN
TEMPERATURES below minus three degrees, with only the clothes on his back and a cardboard box to keep him warm.
Mount Evelyn resident and former mayor Tim Heenan wanted to raise awareness for homelessness last week, but even he didn’t realise it would be so hard.
“On the first Saturday and Sunday I didn’t sleep a wink,” Mr Heenan said.
“I came in thinking it would be cold, but I didn’t expect it to be -3.7 degrees.”
While temperatures below zero would be tough for anyone, it’s the harsh reality many face every night.
“I’ve been really lucky to have people delivering wood for the fires, and been able to chat to some of the guys who sleep here on a more permanent basis and get them a swag to sleep in too,” he said.
“But when you think about the 44,000 people sleeping it rough every night in Australia, my complaints mean nothing.”
When asked why he would choose to sleep out right in the middle of a cold Melbourne winter – Mr Heenan blamed it on bravado.
“I’ve been doing it for a number of years, and I had a few cool nights when I slept out in the middle of October and thought I could do it,” he said.
“I really wanted to link it to Homelessness Week and that’s right in the middle of August.”
At the end of the week, Mr Heenan can go home, have a warm shower and knows he’ll have a roof over his head.
“When I go, I leave it to Neal and Debbie at the team at Holy Fools,” he said.
“Their organisation is just wonderful for these people, and they need some help, every dollar and cent helps.”
