Category: Mental Health

For the people who work in homelessness, there’s always a tricky balance that sits in the back of their minds – how do I manage crisis situations, health emergencies, and the complexity of the housing, health, mental health, and social support systems, whilst still being a friendly face for residents to feel comfortable around?

For colleagues at the Haymarket Foundation, Melissa Sims and Liam Alchin, it’s something that plays in the back of their minds every day.

“One of the most heartbreaking things that I hear is when someone comes up to me and says, can we have a chat? Only if you have time!” says Mel.

“Because they see us running around and on the phones and here and there – to think that they feel that we might not have enough time to sit down and chat with them…I’d love to sit down and chat to someone for hours and be able to have that flexibility.”

Mel, Liam, and the entire Haymarket team work incredibly hard to create a sense of safety for residents.

“A lot of our clients have had doors closed on them, that expecting them to put themselves out there to go and have a chat or just sit down and do an art or a sports program is hard” says Liam.

“It’s not a task that is easily accessible for some of our clients due to their history.”

Staff at The Haymarket Foundation do everything they can to give residents the friendly ear they deserve and put on activities like backyard cricket, playing some instruments, or socialising over a good old-fashioned barbeque.

But there’s hope to do even more – with the support of donors, volunteers, and the many people who support the Foundation’s work, Mel and Liam can see a vision where the Haymarket Foundation is a place where residents can have a break from the challenges of homelessness. A place where they can experience some social connection, a chance to be heard, and simply, experience some fun every now and then.

“The morale is lifted so much when we are able to put those things on” says Mel.

“I think having that flexibility and ability to hold more things on site and have a bit more of a one-stop shop would be amazing.”

Your support helps dedicated homelessness workers like Mel and Liam turn The Haymarket’s crisis accommodation centre into a place of hope, connection, and renewal for people doing it tough.

Donate today and read more stories like this in the Haymarket Foundation 2024 Annual Report.

Originally published at haymarket.org.au.

The Bourke Street Program is a service that supports up to 19 men at a time in planning the next steps of their lives post-rehabilitation.

Dean Southgate (Deano), one of the staff leading the program, remembers a recent moment on a walking tour through the city.

Participants came across a piano in the Queen Victoria Building. Despite not a lick of piano skills between them, the men had a crack at playing it – having a laugh with each other and just enjoying the catharsis of mashing at the keys and having a mini-rockstar moment.

“For that moment in time. They weren’t somewhere dangerous in here,” Deano says, gesturing to his brain.

The moment reveals what’s special about the Bourke Street Program – between the participants, staff, and growing alumni community, there’s a sense of freedom. The freedom to laugh. The freedom to connect. The freedom to be themselves and explore their identities as men in a healthy and supportive environment.

The Bourke Street Program covers everything from re-learning the basics (financial independence, being able to buy your own essentials again – clothes, toiletries, and food, cooking, nutrition, exercise, and more), formal psychological, trauma, and addiction support, and re-connecting with community.

“A lot of the guys who come to us don’t have anything. It’s about dignity. They’re human beings. They’re adults,” says Deano.

“We try and help guys to transition back into society – to be solely independent with themselves, their work, and their family. But more importantly, themselves, so they can present at work. They can be with their family. That they see changes. That it’s not a flash in the pan.”

Some of the most common feedback? “Someone actually listened to me for the first time,” says Deano.

The Bourke Street Program is just one example of the innovative ways staff, volunteers, and the community contribute to The Haymarket Foundation – bridging formal evidence-based practice with lived experience and a unique human touch.

Donate today and read more stories like this in the Haymarket Foundation 2024 Annual Report.

Originally published at haymarket.org.au.