When Uncle Tony looks back at when he was homeless, he remembers the feeling of being judged.
"None of us like to be judged. Especially, none of us like to be judged harshly," the volunteer team leader at Sydney's Rough Edges Cafe tells ABC RN's Big Ideas.
Run by a not-for-profit organisation, the cafe helps to support those experiencing homelessness. Some of the volunteers have experienced it themselves.
Uncle Tony says when you're "going through an extremely hard time" being judged by someone who doesn't understand your story is "really offensive".
"And it hurts."
Experiencing homelessness is deeply stigmatising and can significantly impact mental and physical health.
Unfortunately homelessness is growing in Australia, with tens of thousands of people in this country without a home.
According to a UNSW report released in December 2022, the overall number of Australians relying on homelessness support services has increased by eight per cent to 91,300 people in the last four years.
This is likely to get worse, with a lack of accessible housing, inadequate funding for services and rising rents all raising the risk of more Australians becoming homeless.
One clear solution is to increase social housing across the country.
Government figures state roughly one in every three people considered "greatest needs households" waited at least a year for housing in the 2019 financial year.
In December, Julie Collins, the federal minister for housing, homelessness and small business, announced the government's plan to develop 30,000 social and affordable homes in the next five years.
But while more housing is essential, emotional, social and mental support for those experiencing homelessness is just as important. Research has suggested stigma and lack of social support can be barriers to accessing services.
For those who have experienced homelessness, this support is key to addressing the crisis, along with the misconceptions and hostility directed towards them.
Ryan, a team leader at Rough Edges cafe says binary thinking is unhelpful.
"[Homelessness is] not an 'us versus them' kind of situation, or [that] it's not a lazy, or a choice, situation," he says.
For Uncle Tony, who experienced occasional homelessness for decades, moments of support went a long way when things were tough.
For example, when his landlord decided to renovate his room three years ago, he was kicked out of his boarding house.
He says if it wasn't for people allowing him to couchsurf for two months, he would've been forced back to sleeping rough. These days, he lives in a privately leased home.
Range of challenges
Peer support worker Grace lived through health issues and substance dependence when she was experiencing homelessness.
But one major – and unexpected – challenge she faced was when she moved into a home.
"It was so lonely," she says.
She struggled with guilt.
"You're on the street and you're with other people all the time, and you feel sorry for them [when you're in a home]," she says.
"You were just sleeping in a squat with them, so you invite them back to your house. And that's not helpful. But you were just with them."
Others have faced the same challenge. According to a 2011 paper by the American not-for-profit National Health Care for the Homeless Council, feelings of guilt, isolation and loneliness were common among those who experienced homelessness.
The researchers recommended building relationships and support networks to ease the transition.
Ryan agrees on the value of maintaining support. He says research finds that the majority of those in housing need at least short-term support.
In 2017, one survey of 406 households who had moved into permanent housing found that, after three months, only 16 per cent required no post-housing support.
This difficulty highlights the range of challenges in addressing the homelessness crisis. Ryan says it's "not just as simple as sticking someone in a home".
"You take someone who's been living homeless for, say, five or six years. They're used to the noise of the street. They're used to waking up with people around them all the time," he says.
"Stick them in a home where there's four walls, and they're completely on their own. How isolating. Imagine the silence."
Offering a sense of community is important. And this is exactly what Rough Edges sets out to provide.
Ryan explains the organisation tries to create a community that supports its members, as well as to encourage everyone to develop new skills.
"That's about giving people [the] opportunity to add value to the Rough Edges community specifically, because that's all about 'mattering'. That 'we value you, but you add value' is so important," he says.
"I think the big thing is 'mattering', and dignity that we really try to champion."
The importance of compassion
Offering kindness and compassion doesn't mean providing endless unsolicited advice.
Grace says she was often beset with unwanted guidance that doesn't take her own resourcefulness into account.
"I've been into [support] services before and I'm just more venting. And they start saying, 'Well, have you tried this?' And I'm saying, 'Yes, I've tried that, yes, I've tried that'," she says.
"And I find it a little bit insulting because it's like, I know about all the services. I've been trying to do this – I even told them, 'Look, I've rung Legal Aid, but they can't give me a job'."
Grace says what she needed was for someone to listen to her. "A bit of empathy," she says.
Research has shown how important compassion and empathy can be when treating those experiencing homelessness. Those involved in a 2015 UK study found that, with the correct support and understanding, people can learn to take control and rebuild their lives.
Ryan says those experiencing homelessness understand their challenges.
"A lot of the time people already know the answer that they're looking for. I've had a conversation where a guy basically told me five major issues that were happening in his life."
Ryan remembers the man knew what his problems were and what he needed to do to address them.
"I think people just need to know you're in it with them. You're sitting in the darkness with them, rather than trying to turn on a light somewhere."
Lizzy, who has experienced homelessness, substance dependence, mental illness and family violence, says offering compassion can have a lasting impact.
"[Compassion is] one of the most important things. To listen to someone, to not judge them, and to just show them respect – that's often all someone's looking for," she says.
"They're not asking you to solve their problems. They know you can't solve their problems with a $5 note. They're not asking for that. They're just asking for someone to listen to them and to be heard."
'Just look at me'
Treating someone who is experiencing homelessness with dignity and compassion reminds them of their intrinsic value as a human being.
And it doesn't take much, Grace says.
"[Little things] like someone walking past and giving me a Slurpee and just looking me in the eyes. I used to go around and ask people for change. It's like, 'Just look at it and say no'. You just feel invisible. And it just wasn't nice," she says.
"Just say no. [But] just look at me."
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