AJ
AJ is a founding member of StreetCare. His main aim is to make sure that those people who have been homeless have a say in the way services are delivered. He has lectured at the Annual Conference of Homelessness NSW, and at Macquarie University’s Diversity Forum as well as in an article he co-wrote in Parity. AJ spoke to a Tenant’s Union event at Parliament House. AJ has also written an article for Parity about Police interaction with homeless people.
In August 2017, the Sun Herald published an edited version of AJ’s memoir. You can read it here.
You can also listen to AJ talk about the policing of homelessness or read the pdf version, printed in Parity, Volume 25, Issue 2, May 2012, below.
Dave
Dave joined StreetCare in 2011 has been quick to engage with many of StreetCare’s projects, bringing with him the experiences and insights he has acquired from having been homeless in Western Sydney. He is particularly concerned with the need for extra services in the western suburbs, especially specialist services for homeless people with mental illness. Dave has done consultations with homeless people who have recently left prison, and has assisted the Parramatta City Council with their annual homeless street count.
Daryl
Daryl is from southern Sydney, and joined StreetCare early in 2014. He has his own experience of living on the streets for over 5 years. He is especially keen on mental issues for those sleeping rough and ensuring that they get the right help and education they need to improve their life in the future. He strongly believes that you can’t just put homeless people in four walls and a roof and think you have solved the problem.
Carol
Carol joined StreetCare in 2015. She is a proud Kamiliroi woman, who experienced homelessness for several years before she finally secured stable accommodation in public housing, which she is fighting to keep after the NSW Government announced plans to develop the area. She is a strong advocate for the need to have more social and affordable housing for Aboriginal people, and is very concerned about the difficutlties faced by Aboriginal young people.
Melissa
Melissa joined StreetCare in 2014. Having experienced homelessness as a teenager, she has used her experiences as an active volunteer with a number of youth organisations in Western Sydney. Melissa was a member of the NSW Youth Advisory Council from 2012-2013 and is committed to representing young people especially, those who are homeless. Melissa has recently completed her Honours in Social Work at university, and hopes to use her education to work with homelessness in the future. Melissa brings a wealth of experiences and skills to StreetCare. Melissa authored the report “They Spit at You with their Eyes – Experiences of homelessness in NSW”.