OUTSIDE THE BOX

Fort Knox. Helping put an end to youth.

As the sun goes down and the mist slowly rolls in over the pitch there is a humble sense of achievement drifting through the concrete concourse of our iconic MCG. While in the background there is a slight buzzing noise resonating from the heat lamps, over the hallowed turf, the silence is deafening, only broken by intermittent snoring, far from the usual chanting of the crowds.

It’s Melbourne City Mission’s (MCM) annual Sleep At The G event. Yes, it’s cold, yes it’s uncomfortable, and yes it’s a sleepless night, well for some of us, but this is a harsh reality for more than 6000 kids every night on our streets in Melbourne. How is this possible in one of the world’s most liveable cities?

On Thursday, 16 May 2019, 10 of our own incredible storage experts, together with 1938 other Melburnians, gave up the comforts of their beds and braved the cold in a quest to raise awareness and help put an end to youth homelessness. While the thought of sleeping at the G isn’t for anyone, I am amazed and humbled at the generosity of our storage industry partners who sponsored our team by donating $1783.35, which was a significant amount towards our total $12,829.31 raised. Massive shout out and many thanks to those who supported us; we are very lucky to have such a supportive industry.

On the night our team worked tirelessly in building an arch and personally welcoming and handing out the 2250 “beds” (Fort Knox Big Boxes) to all sleepers on the night. And while we originally partnered with MCM purely to raise awareness and support for the homeless, this event has become an astronomical marketing and branding campaign, far greater than we could have ever managed. Our Fort Knox boxes featured on Nine news with Olivia Nixon crossing over from the G for the weather report. Our boxes are the star highlight for thousands of social posts, pictures, videos and have been shared through twitter, Facebook, Instagram, television and across numerous other local media avenues. Our participation has had a huge effect on our team by increasing morale and comradery, which in the colder, quieter months can be low.

And while the temperature plummeted and the cold night air set in the spirits of the sleepers soared as the fundraising dollars rose with the event raising $1,191,252 for the disadvantaged youth homeless.

And while the night gives us a slight insight into the life of the homeless it wasn’t until I got home and stood under the hot water of my shower that it hit me. The homeless don’t have the privilege of a hot shower, a warm bed, hot coffee nor a substantial meal, the things we take for granted each day. My heart sunk at the reality, and I was saddened to think this is happening in our community. Listening to some of the youth homeless tell their story has really changed the way I see them. For these kids they feel almost

homelessness.

invisible on our streets. Most of our community turn a blind eye and won't even look at them. One young man told us how this behaviour made him feel inhuman and less respected than a dog. Hearing this made me cry.

As a family-owned and-operated business, we find that our cores values echo those at MCM. We believe we have a moral obligation to engage in our local communities and to support those individuals whom in return support our business. There is an old saying; “It takes a village to raise a child” and we endeavour to support our local villages in raising their children just as we nurture our own.

Since its fruition seven years ago, our team at Fort Knox Self Storage has proudly supported MCM Sleep at the G and its quest to help put youth homelessness to bed. MCM does a fabulous job helping hundreds of homeless people a week, however despite their tremendous efforts there are thousands that fall through the gap. In a city and country as rich as ours no young person should be forced to sleep in unsafe housing, couch surf or worse, sleep on the streets. Not only is this physically unsafe but mentally tragic for these youngsters, and the physiological effects stay with them for life.

To date we have donated more than 11,000 Fort Knox big boxes (tea chest cartons) which are used as beds for all sleepers. Thirty-nine of our storage experts have braved the cold by sleeping on our Fort Knox Big Box on freezing harsh concrete of the MCG. And while once is enough for some, we have had a few team members return 6 years running and find the experience very rewarding.

Our wider team has personally hosted numerous fundraising events, including soup kitchens, afternoon teas, cinema nights, zumba classes and raised in excess of $53,000 for the homeless.

We have built numerous shelters, a house and this year we constructed a large arch as a way of promoting the cause and providing a background for sleepers to post photos for social media in a quest to increase donations.

And while homelessness remains a huge social issue, “there is light at the end of the tunnel” thanks to MCM and the truly amazing services they provide through Front Yard. Joanna Wilson and I recently had the privilege to visit MCM's newly-built 18-bed youth crisis accommodation centre, offering private rooms equipped with an ensuite for youths aged between 16 and 24. The project started three years ago with a vision, and a government grant. What followed was 18 months of challenges, planning restrictions, numerous structural issues and difficulties in seeing this dream come to fruition. However, with the support from local government, some amazing community groups, builders, designers and an enormous list of supporters, it has finally officially opened. Without fundraising campaigns such as Sleep At The G, this wouldn’t have been possible.

For more information on the services provided by Melbourne City Mission or sleepattheg follow the links below. l

www.sleepattheg.com.au www.melbournecitymission.org.au

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