Among the group of panellists during the Southeast Homelessness and Housing Alliance launch on Thursday, 31 July, Sharyn Ling touched on the impact of practical support to those sleeping rough.
Ling, who is the community care manager at Fellow Bless Collective, is part of a team that provides essential food relief and material aid through community meals and ‘Bless Packs’.
When asked by Leanne Mitchell, the panel’s moderator, what brought her into her current line of work, and how everyday people at Fellow Bless are helping others, it stemmed from her line of work as a nurse, and her direct involvement in the homelessness sector.
“I did a post-grad in nursing, but did a slight step across to the community sector; and what I saw was just how these people really gave to others, the genuine love and care, and compassion they had,” she said.
“There was no judgment on them, and that was something that really resonated with me, even now, 20 years later.”
From there, it became clear to her where her efforts should be placed, and in 2024, she took a small step back from nursing and became directly involved with the Collective.
Ling said that the Collective has roughly 100 volunteers who participate on a monthly basis, many of whom also have experienced being homeless.
“One of the greatest things is that there are many people who we’ve helped throughout the years and come back to volunteer for us,” she said.
“And these people are people from the general community, they don’t have formal training, but we do a lot of discussions early on.”
Ling spoke about not being afraid to ask for help, escalation pathways when handling those seeking help, and identifying barriers to oneself, recognising one’s own limitations.
She touched on the importance of just being able to realise that it is okay to ask for help, saying that “we really love to see our communities asking for help”.
Lending that helping hand is one thing, but for Ling, it’s also about having those conversations with those who may be experiencing hidden homelessness, and being able to get them the support they need.
