Reaching out to rough sleepers

Rough sleeping is one of the many forms of a crisis gripping thousands of people each year: homelessness.

As the most visible and stereotypical form present in communities large and small, the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW is playing an active role to address the crisis through a program aimed at getting rough sleepers off the streets and into secure housing.

“It’s a very human approach to helping people, getting down to the bare bones of ‘this person’s sleeping there, we know they’re sleeping there, let’s not wait for them to come to us’,” explains Anthony Te Rangi, Assertive Outreach Team Leader.

This approach is at the heart of the Newcastle Assertive Outreach team, a partnership between Hunter New England Health, Homes NSW and the Society’s Matthew Talbot Homeless Service.

“We do patrols every morning, so if there is someone that’s sleeping rough and we see them on our travels, we will engage with them and see what supports we can offer them,” says Anthony. “A lot of the work that we do is also responding to referrals that come from other organisations in the housing sector… or from members of the community.

“One of the things that I really like about the assertive outreach model is that we’re able to meet people in the community where they are to help them do the things that they need to do.”

Newcastle Assertive Outreach has helped 270 people gain a housing tenancy since the start of the decade, resulting in a sustained tenancy rate over 80% due to the housing first approach.

With the latest NSW Statewide Street Count revealing 2,037 people sleeping rough across the state – increasing by 26% over the past 12 months – services like the Newcastle Assertive Outreach team are transforming lives – as people like Joel can attest.

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By his own admission, Joel has travelled “a bit of a rough road in life.”

Couch surfing for a time before sleeping rough 6 for several weeks, Joel had little more than one pair of clothes when the Newcastle Assertive Outreach offered a way out of the anxiety and stress of homelessness.

“They put me straight into a motel, gave me food vouchers, helped me get clothes - just to know you’ve got a roof over your head, and you won’t be in that same situation again – it was a big relief,” says Joel.

Staying in temporary accommodation at the Matthew Talbot Homeless Service while being supported by the case management team in pursuit of longer-term housing, the road from sleeping rough to having a place of his own culminated in securing a unit he now calls his home. 

“When I got the unit, it was unfurnished and [Vinnies] helped me get everything in there; I’ve got a new bed, washing machine, fridge, vacuum cleaner, microwave, kettle – everything!

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With a foundation of secure housing in place, Joel is making strides in other aspects of his life. He’s regained his driver licence, purchased a car and even reconnected with his father after years apart.

“When I made the decision to really change my life – get my life on track and wanting to live life – there was a lot of steps I had to take.

“Without Vinnies supporting me, I don’t know where I’d be today.”

Vinnies giving Joel a hand up was only possible thanks to the support of our wonderful donors.