THE cliched image of a homeless person may be of a bedraggled, elderly man sleeping rough in a cardboard box, but the reality is far different.

Most of our homeless today are unseen and unheard - couch-surfing between the homes of friends or family, or sleeping rough in their cars.

And a rising number of those people are elderly women, often single women who have been left unable to afford the rising cost of housing and rent.

St Vincent de Paul's annual sleepout, to be held at Seagulls Club on August30, aims to raise awareness of this growing issue while fundraising for its homeless drop-in centre, Fred's Place at Tweed Heads.

"While many people are sleeping rough in parks, beach dunes and other public places, hidden homelessness is an even larger problem,” St Vinnies North Coast executive officer Michael Timbrell said.

"In this area alone, hundreds of people are couch-surfing, often in overcrowded households, sleeping in their cars, or paying rents they can ill afford in caravan parks and boarding houses.

"The levels of poverty and homelessness on the North Coast are the highest in NSW, and the challenges are particularly acute now that the colder weather is upon us.”

Fred's Place, which services up to 80 people per day, is the only drop-in service in the shire for homeless people, offering free food, health care, laundry and bathroom facilities.

This year's sleepout is again sponsored by the Tweed's clubs, including Seagulls, Tweed Heads Bowls Club, Twin Towns, South Tweed and more.

To participate in the sleepout or to donate, go to: www.fredsplacecommunity sleepout.org.au.