A Cry from the Heart

Catholic Communications, Sydney Archdiocese,
28 May 2009

One man carefully traced and rubbed a 20 cent coin, a 10 cent coin and a five cent coin onto a piece of paper and then poignantly wrote: "This is all I have to feed my family with."

Eleven-year-old Cindy's drawing was equally heartbreaking. In the centre of the page she drew a yellow house with "Happy Family" written across the roof and enclosed it inside a pink love heart. But the eyes she drew on the heart were closed and streaming with tears and the mouth downturned, while above it all, black clouds hovered, threatening and fearsome.

These were just two of the contributions received by the Society of St Vincent de Paul after its centres across Australia asked hundreds of men, women and children living on the edge: "What Today Means to You."

The response was overwhelming and is grim testament to what used to be called "The Lucky Country."

Powerful, succinct and tragic, these letters and drawings reveal despair, depression, loneliness and fear of the future and give a heart-wrenching glimpse of what it is like to live on the margins.

As part of the Society's annual winter appeal with its theme, Tomorrow Can Be Different, the contributions from hundreds of men, women and children in need have been collected together and will go on display as The Vinnies' Today Journal at the State Library of NSW from Friday May 29 until 5 pm Sunday May 31.

The Vinnies Today Journal, will be shown in conjunction with the World Photographic Exhibition and from June 1, will be available to State libraries across the country as well as online at the St Vinnies website, www.vinnies.org.au

With unemployment on the rise, homelessness has increased sharply throughout Australia. Families, who only a short time ago would have thought of themselves as middle class, are now struggling to survive. Suddenly jobless, many including single mums and single dads and their kids are living in the family car or living in cramped and sometimes dangerous caravan parks. Others are desperately seeking emergency shelter.

But despite the best efforts of charities like St Vinnies, figures released this week by the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare show that in 2007-2008 – before the economic downturn really began to bite - only one in three new requests for emergency shelter were successful.

In 2007-2008, the AIHW said 14,000 homeless were being accommodated each day. But as homelessness since has sharply increased and is now well above the 100,000 figure given by the Federal Government in May last year.

For those either battling to survive from pay check to pay check and terrified of losing their job, or already homeless, St Vinnies is their lifeline. Helping families, children, single mums and dads, the Society provides accommodation and helps with retraining or jobs, counselling on budgeting and getting out of credit card debt. Most important of all, the St Vinnies helps people not only get back on their feet, but gives them hope, restores their dignity and turns their lives around.

"Homelessness for children is particularly difficult," says Julie McDonald, Community and Corporate Relations Manager for the St Vinnies, NSW. "They are often the forgotten ones in these crises. Their parents are so stressed that the impact on their children is sometimes overlooked. But disadvantaged children can become disadvantaged adults which is why we have special programs to help children in these circumstances."

With homelessness and families living on the margins increases across Australia, St Vinnies broadrange of services are more vital than ever. But so too are funds.Which is why this year's Winter Appeal is so important.

The Exhibition of the Vinnies Journal of Need is on display at the Glasshouse, NSW State Library, Macquarie Street Sydney, from 9 am to 5pm on Friday, May 29, Saturday, May 30 and Sunday May 31.

To see further examples of the Journal of Need and to donate to St Vinnies Winter Appeal go to www.vinnies.org.au