off the street and into a home
I am fundraising to help Phillip be able to get a home
Auckland
On my evening walk the other day I met a guy who is homeless living in his car(btw it is on its last legs). He has been doing this the last 5 weeks and apparently I was the 1st person to talk to him!! He came round for dinner last night and I have been listening to his story. Unfortunately it is not an unusual story and as he is male he is low on priority lists. He is living in Auckland to try to be near his kids but a period of unemployment left him deeper in debt and homeless. He now has no up front $$$ to get into a place and is subsisting on very little. He is very smart and super resilient. It is getting colder now though. My house is full so we cannot offer more than meals, showers and company. He needs a stable space to live so he can begin to get his life back together and be able to see his kids.
It did not escape me that our 1st conversation happened at a stunning beach which is surrounded by million dollar properties. The injustice of this disparity makes me so mad. It is super expensive and time consuming to be poor and this can happen to anyone. He spend his whole time subsisting and has obviously had few people to talk to.
Anyway my philosophy is to respond to the person in front of me and I asked him if I could share his situation with you all.
He has obviously tried many things but I love being a part of a connected community and wanted to place his need in the center.
your contributions will make such a difference to Phillip
Thank you
love and hugs
emma bickley's involvement (page creator)
I am doing this to respond to a need I see in front of me. I believe we can do something for Phillip together.
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Latest update
Sharing food and lost car keys 1 May 2016
Phillip is over for dinner at the moment and we are brainstorming some ideas. I make sure I invite him over during the times of the week when he has run out of food. Being homeless means many things have fallen through and resources are at an all time low. Phillip tells me he spends a lot of time walking our streets picking up rubbish as he is the kind of person who likes to feel he is contributing something to society.
Right now we are trying to come up with ideas to getting his car running and maybe finding somewhere to free camp for a while. He cannot camp at the beach he is living at the moment so sleeps crunched up in his car.
Some people my think, oh living at the beach, how wonderful. The reality when it goes on for a long time and there is no other options is very different. The impact of homelessness on health and mental health is profound and can either worsen existing issues or create new ones. Another side effect of being homeless is he has holes in is clothes and his keys have fallen out. Far out. When it rains it pours!!! We will be ringing police tomorrow to see if they have been turned in. fingers crossed. He is at this point able to get in the car though. I am also posting on a Pay it forward Facebook page to see about car help.
So to anyone contributing and sharing THANK YOU. Phillip reads my posts and your responses and it all makes a difference to easing the isolation he has experienced. Sometimes he comes over looking very lost in himself but food, warmth and YOUR support brings the life back to his face.
THANK YOU
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