A program in Adelaide is helping rough sleepers be seen by connecting the public with outreach services. Street Connect allows anyone to flag the location of a rough sleeper via a website, dropping a pin on a map along with details of the person spotted. The Toward Home Alliance team then checks these locations within 12 hours, providing water, protein bars, Band-Aids and tampons, and asking what else is needed.
Shaya Nettle, senior manager at Toward Home, says the program is 'a way for the community to be able to help inform us, and direct us to areas of concern that we’re not seeing'. She emphasises that people should still call emergency services in critical situations, but asks the public to be mindful of respecting the privacy of rough sleepers. 'That’s their private space,' she says, advising a simple 'hello, are you OK?' as a respectful approach.
Nettle notes that homeless people often feel invisible and become conditioned to diminishing their presence. 'Any level of normalising them in a human, daily experience is really important. That starts with eye contact, a hello. If you’re going to get a coffee anyway, offer them one,' she says.
Cost of living and interest rate pressures are increasing the number of rough sleepers, with about 200 in the Adelaide CBD and North Adelaide. People may slip into homelessness due to family violence, drug and alcohol issues, mental illness, job loss or rent increases. David, a 42-year-old who slept rough for eight years, got help from the Hutt St Centre and now studies community service, visiting people on the streets to offer support.
Fourteen rough sleepers die each year in Australia, and recent deaths include a young mother in Western Australia and a newborn baby in a makeshift camp near Wagga Wagga. Studies have found that the human brain dehumanises those who are homeless, making programs like Street Connect vital for restoring visibility and compassion.
