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Participants throughout the Southern Highlands will sleep out on the same night as communities from across the state with all funds raised remaining in the local area to support programs and services operated by the Society.

Figures recorded by the Society revealed 272 people sought assistance from Vinnies members across the Southern Highlands over the past year with 68 per cent seeking support due to a shortage of food and 50 per cent experiencing housing stress.

The call to get involved in the NSW Vinnies Community Sleepout is one action residents can take during Homelessness Week (August 1 - 7) in order to raise awareness of strategies to address housing availability and affordability over the long-term.

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St Vincent de Paul Society NSW CEO Jack de Groot said this year's theme for Homelessness Week was to 'to end homelessness, we need a plan.'

"It ties in with what we hope to achieve with the NSW Vinnies Community Sleepout," he said.

"We want to give participants greater understanding of the challenges faced by people at risk of homelessness and hardship and encourage them to use that knowledge to take action.

"The cost of housing is a huge concern at the moment, particularly in regional areas, so we would like to see a long-term approach that is well informed in order to address the issue.

"The Society recently commissioned research conducted by the University of New South Wales Centre for Social Impact that revealed government investment to build 5,000 new social housing properties each year for the next decade would reduce the current waitlist by 75 per cent.

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"At present, close to 50,000 applicants - or the equivalent of 110,000 people - are waiting for a home in NSW.

"Investment in social housing is one way to the vastly improve the conditions for thousands of people doing it tough right now."

St Vincent de Paul Society NSW State President Paul Burton said events like the NSW Vinnies Community Sleepout played a vital role in ensuring members could continue assisting people during times of hardship.

"The sleepout is only one night but it has the capacity to bring about change over a much longer period," he said.

Funds raised from the night will remain in the community to support Vinnies Conferences across the Southern Highlands region, which provide financial and material aid to locals in need.

People can register to take part and donate at www.vinnies.org.au/communitysleepout

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