“The most surprising thing is that the highest proportion of homelessness is women.

“They are very hidden, because they are so vulnerable, it can be a result of domestic violence and that sort of thing.

“When you say homelessness and a rough sleeper you immediately think of a 60-year-old, drunk male; I can assure you that I only know one of them. Out of all that I know, most of them are younger.”

Ms Jordan said last year St John’s Care fed 6000 people.

“We give away about $300,000 worth of food a year,” she said.

“And we’ve got no safe shelter here at all in Canberra for homeless people, so their choice is to live in the drain, or under a bridge or in a car park.

“Which is pretty shocking in Canberra. Homelessness, at any time, you have probably got 1300 people in Canberra.

“That includes your couch surfers, but your rough sleepers, on any one night you’d probably have about 50 to 60 rough sleepers, and they’re the ones that, really, my heart goes out to them, they’ve got nothing.”

But with the help of the Canberra City branch of Rotary, the non-government funded organisation, St John’s Care will be able to provide small comfort by distributing new swags to the homeless this winter.

“We especially go and get sleeping bags to cope with under 19C, but it’s pretty cold when it gets down to 5C and 6C and you’ve got the frost on you,” Sue said.

“That’s why the swags are good, they’ve got their cover over them and a mat that keeps them off the ground a little.”

Canberra City Rotary raised about $3000 to buy the swags for St John’s Care through their twice-yearly Antique Fairs at Albert Hall.

The swags, from Street Swags, are made by inmates of the Woodford and Grafton Correctional Centres and are available only for charities.

Rotary Canberra City branch member Paul Rafferty said he learnt of the Street Swags operation from an article.

“I read about it and thought it would be a good thing for us to do,” he said.

“We buy them and give them out. We wish we could buy more.”

In total, St John’s Care gives away about 30 swags, between 20 and 30 sleeping bags and between 10 and 15 one-person tents a year.

“One of the things with homelessness is that you lose your things all the time,” Ms Jordan said.

“[The swag] gets stolen, or you put it down and it’s gone. During the winter, they go through about three or four sleeping bags and swags and so they come and ask for a new one.”

The Canberra City Rotary branch also raises money for socks for the organisation by holding “Silly Socks” days at local private schools – where kids can wear their silly socks to school for a gold-coin donation.

“Paul is a really great scavenger for me with socks,” she said.

“[Homeless people’s] feet are awful. They are on their feet all the time and they go through their socks. Paul has been getting some really great explorer socks.”

Ms Jordan said without the help of groups, such as Rotary, the organisation would not survive.

“We are a Canberra organisation, wholly Canberra and we are here to support Canberrans,” she said.

More information on St John’s Care, visit 43 Constitution Avenue, Reid or phone 6248 7771.

Anglicare Pantry Appeal for non-perishable food starts next month, for more information visit anglicarecg.org.au/Get-Involved/Appeals/Get-Involved-Appeals.asp