We see 160-180 people over the course of our three-day week. About 85% of our visitors are male, ranging in age from 18 to 70. We act as facilitator and case manager for many visitors, providing referrals and a point of contact for other organisations.
A majority of our community members face some or all of the following problems:
- Extreme financial disadvantage – most are on some kind of disability pension or unemployment benefit
- Mental illnesses – ranging from Depression to Schizophrenia, (often undiagnosed, untreated or inadequately treated) and substance-induced psychoses
- Abusive or traumatic family or domestic background
- Addiction issues: alcohol, drugs and gambling
- Previous incarceration – ex-prisoners have little hope for rehabilitation when prospects for employment are almost zero
- Homelessness – living on the street or in sub-standard boarding house accommodation with an average four year wait for public housing availability
- Illiteracy and lack of education, leading to limited employment prospects
- Legal issues arising from some or all of the above problems
- Lack of family support – dysfunctional living environments
"It’s all very well to say “get a job” – how would your life have turned out if you’d been abused, beaten, and spat at by drug addicted or violent parents? Some of our guys are just lucky to have survived their childhoods at all." (Caryl)
Most of these problems cause our visitors to be unfairly judged, marginalised, isolated or victimised. They often have limited resources (intellectual, emotional, financial) to deal with these many forms of discrimination. At Our Place, we do not judge or discriminate. We accept, listen and assist in many and diverse ways and try to achieve better outcomes for our visitors.