05/01/2026
Remember when it was easy to think “IT could never happen here?”
Let’s continue to show up, and speak up.
“They’re useless druggies.”
Messy. Loud. Arguing. Drinking. Drugs.
“I feel intimidated walking past them.”
I hear it all the time.
But when your whole life is in a park, there’s nowhere to hide it.
Every argument.
Every bad day.
Every struggle.
It’s all out in the open.
Now picture this....
You’re working. Paying rent. Doing your best.
Then something shifts.
An injury.
A breakup.
A death
Rent goes up.
Landlord wants the house back.
Bills stack up.
You fall behind.
You never thought it would be you.
If you’re lucky, someone takes you in...
If not, maybe you’ve got a car.
If you don’t…
You’re in a tent....
Everything you own is crammed into it.
The rest sits outside under a tarp.
It rains… and now everything’s wet.
Clothes. Bedding. The lot.
You’re tired.
Not sleeping properly.
Trying to stay clean, get to work, hold it together.
Then work starts slipping.
And just like that… you’ve lost your job.
Your income’s gonee
Agencies tell you it’s a wait.
Emergency accommodation is full.
Housing lists are years long.
So you move closer to services. Showers. Support.
Now you’re in a public space, surrounded by others doing it tough.
Tensions are high.
People are dealing with their own battles.
Not everyone gets along.
From the outside…
It looks messy.
But here’s the truth.
Very few people choose this, its not a fun lifestyle.
Most would take a roof, a shower, electricity, warmth, and a real bed in a heartbeat.
Instead, it’s stinking hot.
Freezing cold.
Or pouring rain.
It’s uncomfortable.
It’s embarrassing.
It wears you down.
The community starts looking at you differently.
Authorities move you on.
The same place you’ve lived in for years doesn’t want to see you anymore.
You become an eyesore.
Tarred with the same brush.
And simply getting through the day…
Meanwhile, all those same struggles still exist in houses all over our suburbs.
The only difference is…
They’re hidden.
It’s easy to judge what you can see.
Harder to accept how close most people are to it.
