Hunter CEOs gave up a warm night's sleep on Thursday, swapping their bed for a piece of cardboard on the street for the annual Vinnies CEO Sleepout.
St Vincent de Paul Society north east regional director Clare Van Doorn said this year was more important than ever, as more Australians experience homelessness for the first time.
"The rate of homelessness is so high and increasing, particularly with the current cost of living which is like a black hole that just keeps getting bigger and bigger for people that are in that homeless cycle," she said.
"Our waiting lists for our services are growing longer each day and there is just no capacity for taking on new people and with the high cost of living at the moment we are seeing new people that we haven't seen before who don't normally use our services."
More than $150,000 was raised during the Hunter CEO sleepout, which will be donated to support the Matthew Talbot Hostel Newcastle.
Funds raised will help them provide brokerage support, help people establish a tenancy, pay for bonds and provide emergency accommodation to those sleeping rough.
This marked the 12th year software company Pegasus CEO Adam Boyle joined 30 other CEOs in the annual sleepout.
"It is a humbling experience because it shows you what it is really like and it is only for one night that we have to do it but you wake up in the morning thinking 'thank god I don't have to do that again' and it is hard to fathom how these guys continue to do it night-in and night-out," he said.
"It is uncomfortable and cold and it was about six degrees but it felt like it was zero and it is not something you would be able to get used to."
This year's event was held differently than usual, with participants also preparing breakfast and dinner for those experiencing homelessness at Wickham Park.
"By being there we got to speak to people from lots of different backgrounds. There was someone there who was a professional just like us at some point in his life and he talked us through how things started to go bad and he was couch surfing and he ended up homeless and you can see how easy it can happen for some," said Mr Boyle.
The CEO sleepout was held for the 17th year across Australia to support more than 116,000 people experiencing homelessness across the country.
