A flame of inspiration still flickers, but who will help mend a broken man?

Danny Sutton hopes the homeless man he met has an opportunity for a fulfilling life

AS a community we’ve talked a lot about homelessness in the past few months.

We’ve declared it an emergency, a crisis, had meetings, had all the right people in the room, said all the right things and allocated funding to finding solutions and getting people off the streets.

There’s been a lot of talk, some positive action and a lot of political theatre from all corners but the truth is we still have people sleeping rough in our streets today who need our support as a community.

Homelessness imposes incredible physical and psychological hardship, but the most insidious impact is often the one it has on their futures.

I met a man experiencing homelessness in Hobart last year who was in very poor health and people were concerned about him.

He was humble and not wanting to make a fuss but he was suffering from the effects of poor circulation in his legs and the impact of using alcohol as his way of coping with his situation.

I sat with him and gave him the chance to be listened to and understood. I found out he was a professionally trained auditor who had worked in the public service for many years.

He liked numbers and enjoyed sorting out finances. Even though he was humble and shy in his approach, you could see from the way he talked about his life and work there was still a flicker of energy, inspiration and purpose that he could draw from his past.

His story was that he had experienced a traumatic separation from family and, without support, used alcohol as a way to cope. This led to him losing his job and losing his home. He was supported by a very caring sister, who I later met, but felt awkward and somewhat embarrassed that he was in this situation.

We helped him out that night by convincing him to go with an ambulance to hospital to be checked after a long conversation about not being embarrassed and that it helped the people who cared about him to know he was safe and well.

I checked in on him a few days later and he told me the ambulance and hospital staff had been very kind to him and he had been given some treatment and referral for a check up. He was with his sister at the time and he was considering how he could take a positive step forward to living with the family for a short while so he could get back on his feet physically.

I have not seen him since but I have hope that he has been given the opportunity to make some positive choices and that he can tap into that capability and potential of his past work and life to forge a positive future.

I reflect on his story and there are so many what ifs about his past that could have made this story so different, but when you meet him and see his potential, it is the what ifs of the future that become so much more meaningful.

Who is going to be the trusted person who supports

him to that next appointment with the doctor?

Who is the champion who opens the door to a conversation about positive choices about alcohol use?

Who is the government that funds the housing so he has a place to call home?

How many of these stories does it take to find the funding for the housing and support?

Which council is going to plan and approve the building of that housing so he can be safe and secure?

Who is the community housing provider who provides the housing and who takes a chance on a person on a journey back from alcohol use?

Who is the champion who convinces an employer to give him that first chance to use his skills?

Who is the person who cares enough to check in every now and then to provide support when no one else is around?

It’s not one person, it’s a community that makes these things possible and it is because they care that homeless pasts can become fulfilling futures.

The theme of National Homelessness Week this week is “ending homelessness together” with the goal of 500,000 social and affordable rental homes in Australia by 2026. In Tasmania, 2300 households need priority housing and more than 1000 people under 25 are on the public housing register. Every one of those households has a story and every one has a different future that can be influenced by a kind and caring community.

I think sometimes I am too optimistic, and I often find myself challenging people and organisations to think differently about what they can do to make a difference in people’s lives.

I know that success ultimately is about a whole of community (including all levels of government) focus and if we take the time to listen, understand and respond, we have a chance at creating incredible futures. If we do not, we as a community are greatly diminished.

Danny Sutton is chief executive at Colony 47, which provides support to more than 20,000 Tasmanian children, young people and families every year.