You might lose a night's sleep, but in the process you'll be helping young people who are homeless and struggling to get by. Get on board for Sleepless in September.

By KIRSTI WEISZ

The social enterprise STREAT will be hosting its annual Sleepless in September campaign on Friday September 19, an event that seeks to promote awareness for youth homelessness.

With youth unemployment in parts of Victoria expected to jump to 18.8 per cent by 2016, the campaign will not only try to raise money to fund STREATs $­­­300,000 program, but also aims to “bring the issue home” by filtering thousands of conversations about homelessness on the night.

The main event at Melbourne Central involves people sleeping out in the city all night and participating in activities organised by STREAT.

There will be a stage set up for street buskers, street art, theatre sports games and music and in the early hours of the morning The School of Life will host a session teaching people about homelessness.

Last year, there was laughter; a group playing poker cross-legged on the floor; people huddled together chatting and drinking soup; and others participating in the theatre sports or enjoying the music.

While the campaign promises the “ultimate slumber party”, STREAT’s marketing manager Ian Johnson said that about 2am a chill entered Melbourne Central when the sleeping bags were unrolled and the blankets were laid down.

“A lot of people said that at that time then they started to get a bit cold and uncomfortable … it’s nothing like what it would be on the street, nothing like it,” Ian said.

“It’s like sleeping at the Hilton compared to what it’s really like. People were starting to get an idea of what it would really be like on the streets … that’s what it is about.

“There’s a hard edge to this, it’s not meant to be a party.”

To take part in the campaign, people can either individually raise money, form a group to host a sleepless night or join the main event at Melbourne Central.

Marking its fourth anniversary, STREAT is a social enterprise with a “social heart and a business brain” that helps homeless or disadvantaged young people through training and life skills programs.

Operating three cafés, a coffee roasting business and a production kitchen, STREAT provides work experience for young people between the age of 16 and 25 and aids them in earning in a Certificate II in hospitality.

Melbourne Central’s STREAT café has been successful in training many of Melbourne’s homeless and disadvantaged youth.

“We just want them to keep coming back,” STREAT Melbourne Central café manager Rubie Ozcam says.

Ian said the program had been embraced by the young people who had taken part.

“All the comments we get is ‘for the first time in my life someone cared about me, helped me work through things in a positive way’,” he said.

The goal for STREAT is to become fully sustainable without government funding by 2017 and help 300 people each year with their youth programs.

“If we can make that work then that means a business can help solve a social problem,” Ian said.

As STREAT’s webpage states: “We are happily going to lose lots more sleep to get there!”