St Vincent de Paul Wollongong joined other Illawarra homeless service providers that have seen a rise in the Illawarra's homeless population.

"We won a huge SHS (Specialist Homelessness Services) tender from the Illawarra to Ulladulla but we filled up all the places and service requirements in the first four months instead of over years," president Denis Walsh said.

"Campbelltown is starting to have less demand but we're seeing it increase in the Shoalhaven."

Cooler weather and public transport could be influencing factors in Illawarra's homeless increase, according to Mr Walsh.

"The railway brings people down near the Shoalhaven, they get off there because it's the end of the line and because there are no other services, they stay," he said.

"In winter we see more people coming to the coast because they can use hot public showers near the beaches."

Mr Walsh named Illawarra's high unemployment rate, paired with recent redundancies as the main cause of the issue.

The Vinnies Van made 7000 stops last year alone, providing meals and outreach services to people without permanent accommodation, he said.

"People come and get soup and sandwich but we also help them access Centrelink and get them into accommodation. Once they have a place to stay, we can give them job skills and start the process of getting them back on their feet."

"The funds raised from the CEO Sleepout will go towards having staff in an office to provide these services, so people can come in and see them - rather than have them do it on the street."

The Vinnies CEO Sleepout Wollongong event has raised $20,000. Donations can be made here.