Queanbeyan's Sleepbus is back from the brink

The same charity that originally brought the ‘Sleepbus’ to Queanbeyan has swooped in at the last moment to save it from extinction.

Residents will know it as the big bus parked up by the town’s Visitor Information Centre on Farrer Street a few nights a week, designed to provide a safe place for locals experiencing homelessness.

Inside, it’s kitted out with 14 separate bed ‘pods’ (each with a mattress, pillows, sheets, blankets, USB charging, a lockable door and a television), two toilets, personal storage lockers, pet kennels, security and an intercom system.

It first rolled into town in March 2021 as one of several similar Sleepbuses around the country designed by Melbourne businessman Simon Rowe.

Mr Rowe had found himself homeless for several months at the age of 19 after his car’s engine unexpectedly blew up and he had to spend his rent money on repairs in order to keep his job. He started the charity so others didn’t have to go through the same experience.

The Terry Campese Foundation, founded by former Canberra Raiders captain Terry Campese (who grew up in Queanbeyan), is credited with bringing the Sleepbus to Queanbeyan after it united several local charities under a Queanbeyan Housing Action Collective (Q-HAC) and raised thousands of dollars to launch it.

Over the years, however, the bus has struggled to attract volunteer drivers or caretakers and dropped down to only run on Friday nights and weekends.

Earlier this year, Mr Rowe announced he was winding up the Sleepbus business due to financial issues.

“As many of you would know if you’ve followed me for any of this 10-year journey … we’ve really been struggling financially as a very small organisation for the past 18 months,” he said in a video shared to his Facebook page in January.

“It’s just become impossible and I don’t see any improvement coming in this 2025 … We’ve just run out of money and we can’t do this anymore.”

He said he would try to find local charities in each of the locations to “take ownership of the vehicles and get the services up and running” before the end date of 30 June 2025. He added he was “very confident” Queanbeyan’s bus could continue.

As of last Friday (21 March), the Sleepbus is back, now under the name of Queanbeyan Night Podz Service, run by the Terry Campese Foundation and open seven nights a week.

Long-time volunteer Kelli Rixon hopes the new approach will bring an end to its staffing issues and provide better outcomes for people experiencing homelessness.

“Sleepbus was run very separately from all the other local organisations – they were very standalone and didn’t really engage a whole lot with us,” she says.

“I think that’s probably part of the reason why it doesn’t succeed … So now it’s come back … owned by the local community. All those local services, like St Benedict’s Community Centre, are now wrapped around the service to provide support.

“Ideally, this service shouldn’t exist – it’s a bit of a stopgap to give them a safe place to sleep, but now it’s linked in with local services, these services will be able to get engaged early with guests and help provide them a pathway out of homelessness.”

The rest of the service remains largely the same, with the exception of the brighter, whiter bus.

“It’s fully air-conditioned for summer and heated for winter, which is obviously the important part, and there are toilets in each of the pods, so people don’t need to get off the bus during the night.”

Ms Rixon says the foundation is in talks with the Queanbeyan-Palerang Regional Council (QPRC) about a more permanent home for the bus.

“There’s just some work being done with council at the moment. The local bus company CDC Canberra have been super supportive of looking after the bus for us mechanically and accommodating it when it’s not in service, but they’re expanding and need more space, so we’re working with the council at the moment to get a permanent place where the bus can park.”

Volunteers from the foundation’s youth programs will also help staff it, but more are always welcome.

“Getting those shifts filled for seven nights a week is where we definitely want some more volunteers,” she says.

“We’ve definitely had a lot of interest in the last few weeks since we’ve had the changeover … with people putting their hand up and wanting to help out.”

Contact the Terry Campese Foundation if you’re interested in volunteering for the Queanbeyan Night Podz Service.