Rough Sleepers find pathway to housing

Posted Aug  6, 2024 in Faith

Mount Barker Uniting Church has had a number of rough sleepers using their car park every night of the week to erect their basic tents or sleep in their cars.

It was not uncommon for there to be 4 – 5 different individuals or groups seeking safe shelter behind the church at night. As winter approached, a concerted effort was made to find appropriate long-term accommodation for these people.

The local Minister, Rev Haydn Lush and the workers from the Toward Home Alliance linked the rough sleepers up with health and aged care services so that suitable options could emerge.

Dennis, a 68-year-old man who had been using the car park for 3 months, found a pathway to housing and is grateful for the chance of not being out in the cold winter nights in the hills.

Some rough sleepers have been supported with swags and choose to keep outside at other sites down by a local creek in Mount Barker. They are still accessing the other services offered by the Mount Barker Uniting Church with coffee, snacks and meals as well as having the opportunity to use the showers and laundry facilities.

In Australia, on any given night, 122,494 people in Australia are experiencing homelessness (ABS Census 2021). One in seven people experiencing homelessness are children under 12 (ABS Census 2021). 23% of people experiencing homelessness (almost one in 4) are children and young people between 12 and 24 years of age (ABS Census 2021).

This National Homelessness Week, August 5^th – 11^th with the theme of ‘Homelessness Action Now’ spare a thought for people such as Dennis as we know that a story like his is replicated across so many congregations and communities. National Homelessness Week raises awareness of homelessness in Australia and emphasises the importance of social housing as a long-term solution.

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