Homelessness

This is the promised follow up to my earlier post :  Its the little things...

Many (most?) of you know I have been volunteering on a crisis line for quite a long time now (eighteen years and counting).  As part of that volunteering commitment we are required to undertake follow up and refresher training each year on subjects which relate to the calls we receive.

I live in a city with a high average income.  A city widely regarded as 'well-off' and even affluent.  Which is partly true, and totally misleading.  Some people who live here DO have very high incomes, which serves to increase the average, and conceals rather a lot of people who are struggling.  

My well off city has the second highest number of homeless people recorded in any capital city in Australia.  I strongly suspect that the numbers are under rather than over reported as well.  Private rents are expensive here, and public housing waiting lists are big, and long.  A waiting period of years is common.  Public funding for the homeless has been decreased by both state and Federal Governments.

So, I signed up to attend an information session at the Early Morning Centre, a support service for the homeless which co-incidentally is very close to where I do my shifts on the crisis line.  I should add that the Early Morning Centre only caters to people who can access services in the city centre.  There is a crying need for it to be replicated in other city centres and in the suburbs.

I signed up, and was blown away.  On a miniscule budget the centre provides a cooked breakfast Monday to Friday for up to fifty people at a time.  There are showering and laundry facilities.  The centre will accept mail for the homeless (essential if they are to receive income support).  There are lockers available so they don't have to drag their worldly goods around with them all day.  It is warm (or cool) and safe.

In addition, the co-ordinator has arrangements in place with other essential services to come to the centre (one or more days a week).  These include representatives from legal aid, medical practioners, and representatives from our income support system.  All voluntary, all well attended.  The centre has two paid staff (both part time) and relies heavily on volunteers and donations.

One of the things which captured my attention was the 'weekend food packs'.  The Early Morning Centre provides breakfast on weekdays.  There are evening meals available from a variety of sources which can be accessed - also on a Monday to Friday basis.  On weekends, things get more challenging.  There may be meals available in the suburbs IF you know about them and have transport.  Essentially, weekends can be a hungry time.

From this need, the weekend packs were born.  They are tasty, nutritious, don't require access to a kitchen and are light and easy to carry.  Components can include:   

1. Single packs of cereal - can be eaten anywhere
2. Small UHT milk cartons - for use with cereals
3. Small individual 100% fruit (sugar free) drinks
4. Sugar free chewing gum, because it is refreshing and it can also serve to help clean teeth if there is no access to toothpaste
5. Single serve of sultanas - great energy food
6. Single serve packs of fruit in natural juice
7. 200g can of baked beans with a ring pull opener - an excellent source of protein, can be opened easily and heated on one of the free BBQs in local parks (And there are maps to list just where those BBQs are)
8. Small tin (95g) of tuna with ring pull opening - excellent nutritionally and very easy to open
9. Cup (not packet) of noodles - can be used most places if hot water is available (I forgot to ask how easy it is to get access to hot water)
10. Some sort of snack as a treat - muesli bars and the like.     

I really, really like this idea and have made a commitment to myself that I will add one or two things from the list to my grocery shop each week, and drop them in on my way to do a shift on the crisis line.  Practical assistance, which can't be swallowed up in administration costs.  A win.