Stand Together Day: Sharing Their Stories
by: Susie Holt
Today is not your average day. Today is Stand Together Day and to celebrate, our team are pushing away our comfy work chairs to stand up for the workday. As we do, we’ll be remembering the 122,000 Australians who will be without a safe home tonight, many of them hidden from sight.
Many people who are experiencing homelessness are what we call the “hidden homeless”. People who don’t have a secure, safe home of their own, but find a place to sleep on couches, futons and in spare rooms of people in their world, supporting them in their difficult time. As we discussed this recently as a team of Christian broadcasters, we discovered that, without realising it, multiple people in the room had experienced hidden homelessness.
For eight years and nearly 2500 episodes, Luke Holt was networked across 27 Christian Radio stations as a part of the Luke and Susie radio show. Luke and Susie have three sons and live what they would describe as a happy life in a happy and safe home. However, on his 23rd birthday Luke sat homeless at a train station in the western suburbs of Sydney with no money, no friends or family, no options.
Luke’s story highlights that hidden homelessness can happen to anyone. Complete strangers chose to stand together with a young and broken man.
Ashley remembers her first experience of homelessness when she was four years old. Throughout most of her childhood and teen years, Ashley faced ongoing struggles with mental health, tragic life events, and family conflict. Growing up, home was never a safe place. As an adult, Ashley pursued further study in community services. When she came across the Universal Declaration of Human Rights – a document written by the UN over 75 years ago, Ashley caught her first glimpse of the life she deserves to live. For the first time in her life, she believed she was worthy.
Today, Ashley applies her lived experience in her role at Mission Australia, offering real hope that has lasting impact. Ashley’s story highlights that there is hope to end homelessness in Australia if we choose to stand together.
On this Stand Together Day, we’re encouraging you to remember those who are experiencing homelessness and consider what you can do to be a part of the solution. Mission Australia’s goal is to see the end of homelessness in Australia. It can be done, if we stand together to ensure all Australians have a safe place to call home.
