Icy weather a ‘life-and-death’ scenario for many, says Major Brendan Nottle
BY KIRRALEE NICOLLE
With a ‘blocking high’ bringing unusually low temperatures across much of south-eastern Australia, the stakes are even higher for those living outdoors or unable to afford heating.
Frigid weather systems are breaking records and causing frost throughout Victoria, the ACT, parts of New South Wales, South Australia and Tasmania. In South Australia, the state government has announced a Code Blue extreme winter weather response effective from 1 July to prompt homelessness and social services to intensify their efforts to care for at-risk populations.
The Salvation Army’s Melbourne Project 614 Team Leader, Major Brendan Nottle, said the current weather conditions combined with the cost-of-living crisis were potentially causing a life-and-death situation for those sleeping rough or lacking the funds to pay heating bills. He said the situation was leading many to a breaking point, meaning services like the Magpie Nest Café at Project 614 were vitally important for not only providing food but also the opportunity to engage with others and be reminded that they were human beings who deserved dignity.
“It’s not just impacting them physically [in that] they can’t heat their homes, or they find it difficult to stay warm outside, but it’s also impacting them mentally and emotionally too,” he said. “And there are people that are becoming very distressed because they basically feel like no one cares.”
Brendan said the government was responsible for reducing costs for Australians, including relieving energy and rental costs and investigating grocery price increases. He also said mental health services should be a priority as declining mental health was both a serious factor leading to the problem and an effect of homelessness. But Brendan said that rather than simply blaming the government for the crisis, everyday Australians could work to improve the country by looking out for those around them.
“If you’ve got somebody that’s vulnerable, so they’re elderly, or they’re unwell, check in, invite them over [or] take them a meal,” he said. “We can help people physically, but we can help them mentally and emotionally as well.
“It’s not a certain group of people that are homeless. Homelessness can impact any human being if they don’t have everything lining up around being able to make ends meet.”
Brendan said if people saw someone sleeping rough in their local area and weren’t sure how to help, they could simply approach them and have a conversation to find out what they needed.
“The first thing is to ask yourself the question, ‘Do I feel safe engaging this person on my own?’ he said. “If you don’t, then maybe take someone else. If you still don’t feel safe, then it’s good to be resourced with phone numbers that you can call about the person that you’ve seen sleeping rough, so could be the local Salvos, could be the local council [or] the local police if you’re genuinely concerned about that person sleeping out in the freezing cold.”
“If we’re going to be a healthy nation and a healthy society, we need to move from locking individuals out to actually locking them in.”
Brendan said the most important thing was ensuring people in vulnerable settings knew they belonged and explained that, as a society, we tended to lock out those who were different or who we disagreed with rather than include them.
He added that once people felt locked out, it was often a short path to being locked up. Practical support, including meals, vouchers, assistance with utility payments, opportunities for training, volunteering and employment, and safe and secure housing, all helped vulnerable people get back on their feet and rebuild their lives.
“If we’re going to be a healthy nation and a healthy society, we need to move from locking individuals out to actually locking them in,” Brendan said.
“Because the reality is if we lock people out, they often become very angry. History is littered with examples that indicate that people [who] are locked up often become hardened, not healed.
“And when people feel locked in, then they tend to go down that path of helping others.”
