Homelessness is an issue that has always been prominent in our world. They don’t have a home, a job, or money. This can be the result of many social and economic factors and it is devastating to those who experience it.
After seeing homeless people sleeping in the streets, at a bus stop, park benches … and they don’t have a blanket for the colder nights. A new charity in Australia, helped them with an innovative idea.
Called Beddown, this organization is transforming empty parking lots into safe havens for the homeless at night, according to Bored Panda.
The founder of the charity Norman McGillivray thought of the idea while walking through an empty parking lot and reached out to one of the largest car park operators in Brisbane, Secure Parking, to launch a two-week trial and they agreed.
The aim of the initiative is to help the homeless feel safe at night, they can get enough sleep, they won’t be cold or be unexpectedly attacked while they are sleeping.
“We will look to get as close as we can to a proper comfortable bed to provide the homeless with a great night’s sleep is our ultimate goal,” the creators of Beddown wrote on their Instagram page.
The charity also provided many services to the homeless people, like doctors, nurses, even dentists and hairdressers. They gave them a place to clean themselves and helped provide social services.
Here is some of the initial information after the first trial:
- 41 guests used their beds during the pilot season.
- 77% of them were male and 23% were female.
- The guests rated both their beds and their sleep a 4.5 out of 5.
- 100% of the guests said they felt safe.
- Because of overcapacity, nine people were turned away in one night.
- The youngest person who tried to access the service was just 15 years old.
Not only providing for those who sleep rough to access a safe haven, but Beddown also has a vision, “We will work with our other collaborative partners to provide long-term solutions to transition our guests into accommodation, education, and employment opportunities and ultimately put ourselves out of business,” they said in their Instagram posts.
“Being able to sleep all night and away from drugs, I’m clearer in the day and have not used drugs for 8 days,” one guest in this place said.
“It’s the first time I have had a dream in years,” another said.