Help raise money for StreetWork and young people in need at Chatswood Sleeps Rough on 8 September.
When teacher Peter Hobbs saw young people sleeping rough in Chatswood, he knew he had to help them. Forty years later, his charity StreetWork is still helping hundreds of 11 to 18-year-old local children to get back on their feet.
This September, the community has a chance to help raise much-needed funds for StreetWork by experiencing what it feels like to ‘sleep rough’ – that is, on the ground. The Chatswood Chamber of Commerce and Westfield Chatswood has brought back the Chatswood Sleeps Rough event, which was last held in 2019. Participants will be housed in the Westfield Carpark and can bring a mattress and blankets to keep warm.
StreetWork chief executive officer Helen Banu says the charity helps between 180 and 230 people annually. About 15 to 20 per cent are at risk of homelessness.
“Our service is about making sure that their wellbeing is being looked after,” Helen says. “We look at the young person holistically, and we support them for all their needs.”
Helen tells North Shore Living that it’s all about connecting the kids with the right people.
“We might connect them with an organisation that will help them improve their relationship with a parent or carer, or it could have been drugs and alcohol that contributed to them being at risk of homelessness.”
On-on-one mentoring is delivered in the community by mobile youth case workers who cover all of the North Sydney region.
Helen says that a solution for at-risk young people is not always easy.
Participants will learn to make their own cardboard shelter.
“Some people say, ‘why doesn’t that young person just get a job?’ It’s not that easy,” Helen says. “They’re battling other issues. Drug and alcohol issues can be a big threat. They’re not going to be able to hold a job down if they haven’t actually resolved those drug and alcohol issues.”
Young people get referred to StreetWork in different ways, including from their school or the police,” Helen says. “It could be a self-referral, it could be a family referral as well.”
Although StreetWork gets some funding from local councils, it’s not regular.
“It’s very disappointing that we don’t get any recurrent government funding as we don’t fit neatly into a (category),” Helen says. “We’re not a homeless service. We’re not a drug and alcohol service. We are not even a mental health service.”
The Chatswood Sleeps Rough event on 8 September is a chance to raise extra much-needed funds and StreetWork hopes to have 80 to 120 rough sleepers who will build their own shelter from cardboard. There will be a barbecue provided for the rough sleepers in the evening, some activities and a breakfast the following morning. The last raised over $27,000, which also went towards the Salvation Army Chatswood.
To register or donate to either charity, go to chatswoodsleepsrough.com.au.