28 Aug 2023
Experiencing homelessness
Year 11 students from Magnus and Casey Houses braved a cold June night as part of a Vinnies Sleepout to experience a snapshot of life as a person experiencing homelessness in Australia.
Their evening began in the city learning about different forms of homelessness from Dan, Sam and Jack from the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland, commonly known as Vinnies.
Next, it was time for dinner. However, as part of the challenge, the boys received only $2 each to spend. Most boys purchased bread but found themselves still hungry afterwards.
After dinner, the boys were each allocated a location to sit for 40 minutes and reflect on the experience as well as observe their surroundings and identify the most likely place they would choose to spend overnight if they were in need.
Year 11 student Alistair Bowden said, ‘We learned about hostile architecture, which is infrastructure that makes sleeping in parks and malls uncomfortable, such as metal bars on chairs so you can’t lie on them and loud classical music playing.’
It was then time to head to the sleeping location for the evening and prepare for bed.
‘I forgot my sleeping bag, so I didn’t get much sleep at all,’ Alistair said. ‘From about 3:30 am onwards, I gave up. It was freezing cold.’
Reflecting on the experience, Year 11 student Addison Edmonds said, ‘It was a great snapshot into homelessness, but we are well aware that it is not the real experience. Actual homelessness would be much worse because although we were uncomfortable, we were safe. Feeling uncomfortable is very different to feeling unsafe. We weren’t in any danger and had no fear of our stuff being taken.’
Magnus House began its association with Vinnies in 2018 when the students chose homelessness as the focus area for their Year 11 social justice project.
Housemaster John Callie said, ‘We decided to immerse and learn about the issue of homelessness first-hand to gain a better understanding of how it feels and how it looks to be protagonists for change and understanding in our communities. This year, we were pleased to welcome Casey House for the first time.’
)
)
)
)
)