Max Hatzoglou
Inspire Hope, Victoria Police and Brimbank council have teamed up to support rough sleepers in Brimbank and highlight the importance of community providing support.
The three stakeholder endeavour to bring the wider community together to provide assistance to rough sleepers by creating a strong understanding of how the public can assist.
Inspire Hope and Victoria Police have rough sleeper packs that are supplied for free by The Good Box although they can’t be distributed if they are not aware of people’s roundabouts.
They are hoping to develop relationships with rough sleepers to help reconnect them with the community and get them on a positive and healthy path.
Inspire hope is a non for profit organisation striving to bring relief and support to the disadvantaged and those living in poverty by aiding in the growth of a stronger, thriving community that will serve future generations.
Inspire Hope president Tamara Carr, who was once a rough sleeper before changing her life said rough sleepers would benefit from a helping hand although more support was needed from the wider community to allow this to happen.
“We want to get a location, refer them to us or council and from there we would actually go out and meet with them,” Carr said.
“We put events on quite regularly, like weekly lunches and community events where we like to invite these people to come in and start to feel connected again back into the community.
“We want them to know that in their circumstances, they are not alone and start to build that relationship with each individual rough sleeper to then dig a little bit, work out what’s going on with them and help refer them to the required service to assist them in getting out of their situation.
“These people are in need of a helping hand and that’s what we are collectively, a helping hand, we don’t have the answers to everything and we can’t magically change their life overnight but imagine walking through life knowing that someone has got your back.
“We want to have their back as much as we can.”
Victoria Police acting senior sergeant Nathan Vipond who is also on the board of Inspire Hope said people reporting roughsleepers in the community was vital to ensuring they received support.
“We are asking for the public to reach out and let us know (about the roughsleeper),” Mr Vipond said.
Community members are able to let council know or can also call triple 00 where police could do a welfare check perhaps
“We are not necessarily there to get them in trouble, which is the culture that I think I have developed at Sunshine and Keilor Downs.
“It’s about finding out who they are, finding out what they need, if they need anything and if they are wanting some assistance.
“It’s a matter of linking them in (with community) and providing that support.
“I’m trying to build that bridge that we’re not just here to move them on and give them grief, we are here to help people.”
