Hannah Hammoud
The theme for this year’s Homelessness Week is “It’s time to end homelessness”, a message that the Salvation Army Social Housing Service (SASHS) in Sunshine is helping to spread.
The week runs from August 7-13, aimed at raising awareness of the impact of homelessness, and the solutions needed to end homelessness.
The Council to Homeless Persons reports that in Australia, there are over 116,000 people experiencing homelessness on any given night.
The SASHS is hosting a barbeque at their Sunshine address, with a cross-sector of community services organisations, including IPC health, CoHealth, Foodbank and the Salvation Army who will be available for the community to meet with their services.
Salvation Army Vicwest homelessness manager Cheryl McKinley said the day is open to not just those who are impacted by homelessness, but also the greater community.
“We know there’s still a stigma attached to homelessness but we’re trying to break down those myths and talk about how homelessness can affect anyone,” she said.
“With the cost of living many people could be one pay packet away from homelessness. We want to debunk the myths of what people see as a homeless person.”
Ms McKinley said people often associate homelessness with mental health as well as alcohol and other drug (AOD) usage.
“In the wider community there are staggering numbers of people affected by mental health, we know that especially since Covid. People self-medicate with AOD but it doesn’t mean they’re going to be homeless, so it’s about breaking down those stereotypes and shining a light on the reality of the situation,” she said.
Ms McKinley said this event is also an opportunity for the Brimbank community to learn how they can support someone who is experiencing homelessness.
SASHS assists people who are homeless, or those at risk of homelessness, across Brimbank, Melton and surrounding areas in the west, providing a broad range of housing and support services.
The community barbeque will take place on Friday, August 11, from 10am-2pm at 6/147 Harvester Road, Sunshine.
