Tamworth to brave the cold for 2022 St Vincent de Paul Society's Community Sleepout

Locals are preparing to shiver through the night as part of St Vincent de Paul Society's Community Sleepout to raise funds to fight homelessness.

With temperatures hitting a low of 5 degrees on Friday night, participants will swap the comfort of their beds for their backyards or driveways with this years event being held virtually.

Tamworth Regional Conference president of the St Vincent de Paul Society Jann Browne said with the cost of living on the rise homelessness was becoming more prevalent in the city.

"With the rise of rent in the area and the affects of COVID that have been ongoing there are just so many homeless people seeking assistance," she said.

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In the last year, 316 people sought assistance from the society in the Tamworth region.

Of those, 85 per cent of people were seeking support for food shortages and 56 per cent were reaching out due to housing stress.

But Ms Browne said homelessness wasn't just not having a roof over your head.

"It can be couch surfing, it can be people who are in emergency accommodation because they haven't been able to pay mortgages on their home. They may be in distress from leaving relationships and having to just go and live in someone else's house," she said.

"It's really in dire straights."

The money raised from the sleepout will be used to assist with food, accommodation, bedding, emergency housing and assistance, budget counselling and rehabilitation programs for drug and alcohol addictions.

The sleepout will be held on Friday night but any money donated to the cause on Wednesday August 17 will be matched by Wests Entertainment Group up to $4000.

Wests deputy chief executive officer James Cooper said the financial donation was an opportunity to give back to the community.

"It's winter, it's cold. If we can raise awareness and support our local community that's what were going to do," he said.

"The central point for us is if there's anything impacting our community and if there's an opportunity for us to support our community ... we're going to put our name to it."

The event in Tamworth is aiming to raise $15,000 for the cause.

Donations and registrations for the sleepout can be made here.

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