Two Chapman Tripp lawyers will be sleeping rough for the night, in a bid to raise money for the battle against youth homelessness.

Senior associate Jai Nario (right) and senior legal adviser Robert Grignon, who are both in the firm’s tax practice, will spend next Thursday night sleeping on the cold concrete at AUT’s City Campus on Wellesley St in central Auckland.

The charity event, Lifewise Big Sleepout 2017, aims to raise funds this year to address youth homelessness.  Lifewise statistics show more than 41,000 people in New Zealand have no home, with over half of the country’s homeless being under 25. One quarter of those are children.

“With temperatures around six degrees at night, we are preparing ourselves for a long, cold night,” says Ms Nario

“For us, sleeping rough is a choice, but for thousands of New Zealanders, this is what they face night after night. We hope that getting a glimpse of what it is like for those with no place to call home will not only raise funds to give them a chance to get the support they need, but will also raise awareness of this important issue.”

Mr Grignon says it’s an important event.

“We will be joining a number of professionals from a wide range of companies, coming together to collectively aim to raise more than $350,000 for Lifewise through The Big Sleepout.  Lifewise is a great organisation, with many community projects and causes, of which helping end youth homelessness is just one.”

So far, the pair has jointly raised more than $4,000. You can donate here.