Of the Lifewise Big Sleepout - 2012

I blogged about this event last year as it made an impact in my life.Homelessness is an issue, somewhat overlooked, and more importantly, it is solvable.Here's a promo video you may find of interest.There are a lot of misconceptions and prejudices swirling around Homelessness. I know I carried them. No longer.The Homeless are not dole-bludgeing, drunken old men. The reality is that homelessness does not discriminate. Women, children, men, older people, Pakeha, Maori, people with a variety of qualifications, people with all sorts of skills/talents and abilities, and as you will read, people with heart-breaking histories all make up Auckland’s homeless population.Here are some stories of those that Lifewise has been able to support. Support made possible through Big Sleepout donations.  Lifewise has since been able to assist each of these people with: permanent accommodation, advocacy assistance (most often in regards to government departments), budgeting support and medical assistance where needed.Donors have played a significant role in ending the cycle of homelessness for these people. Let’s ensure that people like Rachel, Dean, Gina, James and Kylie are not left unsupported and ignored but rather receive the compassionate and committed response that they deserve.Meet Rachel:Rachel* is a female in her late twenties who fled a violent relationship in the Bay of Plenty in August of last year and wound up rough sleeping in Auckland. Her partner has their young son; she has not seen him since she left. She is on a sickness benefit due to depression. She is on the waiting list for Housing NZ and has been for three months. Rachel is currently residing in a boarding house.Meet Dean and Gina:Dean* and Gina* are a young couple both in their early 20s living in a station wagon after being evicted from their rental accommodation in central Auckland.  She worked in sales but lost her job when the organization she was working for closed its local office.  He lost his job as a builder after the small firm he was working for folded when it was not paid for some apartments they built in town, he was owed a month’s wages and 4 weeks holiday pay, none of which he received.  To make ends meet in the first few weeks he sold off his tools to cover the rental costs, they visited WINZ and found that after paying their rent and other bills they had $40 to buy food and gas for the car.  They managed to survive for a while until she became sick and needed to visit the doctor regularly to get treatment, at the same time the car failed a warrant and they refused to fix it unless they paid upfront for the parts. They went to WINZ who refused to help as it wasn't seen as essential, so they used their rent money, thinking the landlord would be understanding, to repair the car.  After missing 2 more rent payments over a period of 6 weeks they returned to their home to find an eviction notice in place and a note saying “If you want your gear back you will need to come up with the $1000 rent owing”.  Since that day they have been living in their car, her health continues to be a problem due to the stress of the situation.  They have both been applying for work but without tools most builders won't hire him and there are hundreds of people seeking employment in sales... They are on the Housing NZ list but have a black mark against their name due to the fact the old landlord has labelled them as bad tenants.  Their benefit has been reduced as they are no longer renting..Meet Amber, James and Kylie:Amber* is 32 years old female living in a hostel with her two children, James* and Kylie* after leaving her husband of 12 years due to violence. Women’s refuge were unable to accommodate her as her son is 13 years old. Refuge referred her to another hostel but she left after another resident offered her money for sex. The manager had refused to do anything about it. They have been living in a hostel for 2 months as they wait for a Housing New Zealand house. Both kids have told their mum about being bullied at this school & her son has been assaulted a number of times by another kid living at the hostel.  She is paying $230 per week for their room which only has two single beds in it, kitchen and bathrooms are communal so she has to get up at night with her children when they want to use the toilet. Most nights the kids cry themselves to sleep telling her they want to go home. She is not sleeping well as the lock on her door is broken and hasn't been fixed.  She is now on the DPB but struggling to make ends meet as she has limited skills and no work experience due to having been a stay-at-home and housewife her adult life.*Names have been changed to protect the identities of the people involvedI understand that it would not take much, just three life events, for me to find myself in a Homeless situation. So, I’m sleeping rough on June 28th with many others to raise funds for the work of Lifewise, and awareness about the plight of people in our community.If you’re able, please consider sponsoring me. You can do so here. Even the smallest amount helps.Thank you.- S