No Fixt Address is a both an awareness and fundraising campaign. The idea that came to me as I was thinking about my plans of creating a community restaurant, much like my beloved Lentil as Anything but focused on creating work and life skill opportunities
and pathways for homeless and disadvantaged youth. I’d had many conversations, with many different people and had many ideas about what I thought was needed but then it dawned on me:
WTF do I know?
Seriously. WTF DO I KNOW?
How is it that I think I possess the credentials to make judgements and decisions about what this community needs?
‘It was a Facebook post by a friend and mentor of mine, Aaron Mashano, that sparked the first thought of what would become ‘No Fixt Address’. It simply read:
‘RATHER THAN POKE AT THE PROBLEM FROM AFAR YOU NEED TO GO LIVE IT’
That post stuck in my head that morning and on my way to work I realised;
‘I need to go live homeless. And I need to do it for a month’.
In that moment No Fixt Address was born.
SHARING THE STORY
We will share the story as it unfolds via social media, blogs & film.
We aim to raise awareness and understanding of homelessness, the vital organisations out there supporting and caring for our homeless community and crowd fund $150,000 to building our youth focused restaurant project and hub - the Community Kitchen’.
Nadene (thats me speaking in that weird 3rd person way) will live on a budget of $220 per week - the equivalent of the dole, sleeping rough, couch surfing, rooming houses, sleeping in a car, hostels, squatting.
‘I am under no illusions that my experience is not the same as being homeless. I have my networks, my support and an end in sight after all. It is my choice and not the best of only bad options like it is for so many. My aim is to get to know the community,
the issues they face, hear their stories and hopefully, with their permission, share them.'
Through this project we want to inspire ownership, understanding, support and collaborative action within our communities and to disappear the fear, prejudice and even competition that currently exists.
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WHY YOUTH HOMELESSNESS?
Because research* has shown that those who first experience homelessness at a young age are more likely to experience persistent homelessness in adulthood.
Young people who experience homelessness are more likely to drop out of school, experience unemployment and be exposed to factors that are detrimental to their health and wellbeing such as drug use, inadequate nutrition, limited access to medical care
and school, unsafe sexual encounters and violence.
Now thats the sanitised version and I’m sure we can all read between the lines.
Now imagine its your daughter, your son, your niece, cousin, neighbour or nephew.
To that we say BULLSHIT! and accordingly we have set ourselves a very lofty goal:
ZERO YOUTH HOMELESSNESS IN MELBOURNE BY 2020
AND WE NEED ALL HANDS ON DECK!
