Dear Circle of Hope,

A fortnight ago our country was reminded of one of our most confronting realities as a nation as we recognised Homelessness Week.  This is a week each year where people are encouraged to become aware of the experiences of so many Australians who experience homelessness, sleeping rough and poverty. The statistics continue to be grim and the numbers of people experiencing homelessness in our local council area of Byron Shire continue to rise, making us the second highest area in the state when it comes to the number of people sleeping rough. This places pressure on many of our amazing service providers who are working tirelessly and with limited funding to support, assist and walk alongside people in these situations.

This year, in the middle of homelessness week a person who had once taken refuge and shelter under the verandahs of our church building for an extended time, smashed a number of glass panels on our front entry doors. This person has a range of complex issues and this was an unfortunate and confronting event. After I received the phone call informing me of this situation I began to cry. A year previously we had a similar situation with glass panels being smashed and the year before that there was a major fire incident that caused tens of thousands of dollars worth of damage, when a mattress was set alight under our eaves. As the tears fell, I thought of the person who had caused the damage on this occasion. I thought of our people who would be cleaning up after the mess again. I thought of our senior citizens, some of them well into their eighties, who regularly clean up excrement of people sleeping under our verandahs and who experience the anger and frustration and abuse from people who are struggling with a range of issues. What can we do to see change come? How can we continue to love when it is difficult? How can we, with our limited resources, make a difference?

Then I remembered a phrase I had once heard: ‘every tear is a blessing.’ As the tears continued to fall I held each of these people in my heart offering a quiet blessing for each one. I remembered compassion, generosity and our call to love our neighbour. This shifted my experience in these fresh moments of receiving the news. It then moved me to action, as I made my way to the building, leading me to find strength to sweep up the glass and wash the blood from the floor alongside our volunteers.

Engaging with the issues related to homelessness is not easy. It is a complex, tiresome and often thankless task. However, we are all part of this situation in our country and need to find ways of bringing change to our communities, as we seek to support and love people who are struggling. If you personally know someone who works with a service provider or who works to support people experiencing these situations, take some time this week to encourage them and thank them for the important work that they do.

Thank you for being part of our Circle of Hope.

Grace and peace,

Phil