It's National Homelessness Week.
Most Australians (78%) say a single week without meaningful conversation could negatively impact their health, yet 31% of Australians say they keep walking without acknowledging someone they perceive to be experiencing homelessness or sleeping rough.
For people experiencing homelessness and hardship, disconnection from their community isn’t just incidental to their situation, it’s central to it.
Discover how Orange Sky is supporting people doing it tough across Australia, and how you can be part of the solution.
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When CC was just 14, she made the difficult decision to leave home. With nowhere to turn, she navigated the uncertainty of couch surfing before eventually spending the majority of her nights sleeping under a local bridge. She says that disconnection from community, loneliness and isolation, was one of the hardest parts of the experience, and that the non-judgemental kindness of another got her through those tough times.
âIt was very lonely,â CC recalls. âWhen you havenât been able to wash your clothes in a while, you start to get that real feeling of worthlessness, even if youâre trying to stay positive. In that moment, just being able to have a hot shower and wash my clothes again really gave me my dignity back.â
After experiencing many lonely, cold nights sleeping rough, years later, with a safe place to call home and a loving family of her own, CC chose to put on the Orange Sky shirt and become a volunteer, bringing her journey completely full circle.
âOrange Sky is just incredible. The spirit and kindness is what itâs all about,” she says. “We have friends who come here when it’s cold and wet, and theyâve only got one blanket to their name. Having it washed and dried helps to give you more pizazz for life again. Clean clothes, compassion, and conversation – it all resonates very deeply. Itâs been fantastic to be a part of it, I never want to leave.â
For CC, every shift is a reminder of the power of a smile and a chat, and how that simple, everyday interaction can change the trajectory of someone’s day.
Sometimes it’s the smallest things – a chat, a laugh or a smile – that can bridge the biggest gaps. We know you don’t need the perfect words to support, you just need to show up.
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