Duncan* had a tough upbringing.
Born in Redfern and raised in Taree, his parents were alcoholics and he went on to spend more than 20 years in and out of prison.
“I did have a problem with drug issues, but I’m sorting through that now,” he says. “All my family is on the drugs, basically, so that’s all I knew growing up – smoke pot or go and do something stupid to get what I needed.
“Mum and dad were always there for us, but their grog came first.”
Duncan was living on the streets of Newtown in Sydney when he finally got the help he needed.
Now, he walks up and down Hamilton’s Beaumont Street selling The Big Issue magazine.
The Big Issue positively impacts those facing homelessness, disadvantage and marginalization by providing opportunities for work, a stable income, and interaction with the community.
Vendors, like Duncan, purchase each magazine for $4.50 and sell it for $9, keeping all profits.
In the six months since its launch in Newcastle on 5 December, a network of 14 vendors sold more than 1,600 copies and 200 calendars, putting $8,300 directly into their pockets.
“I like the challenge of getting out there and having a go,” Duncan says.
“I didn’t know that this sort of support was out there until I got off my butt and had a look.
“I’d spent the last 22 years in and out of prison, so time for a change I suppose.
“This keeps me out of trouble and away from the other stuff I was doing.”
National Homelessness Week will take place from Sunday 4 to Saturday 10 August to raise awareness of the 116,000 Australians who are homeless on any given night.
Duncan’s personal vendor support, Steve Cullum, says The Big Issue, as well as initiatives like Homelessness Week, help to highlight the issue.
“It encourages other people to have a greater understanding of homelessness, rather than the stigma that’s attached to it,” Mr Cullum says.
“It’s not just people who are in need or drug addicts, it’s all sorts of people – some of them are war heroes who just can’t deal with life as it is.
“They’ve got the money in the bank, service pensions and everything, but they just can’t focus and can’t do it.”
Visit homelessnessaustralia.org.au for more information.
*Duncan’s surname withheld for privacy reasons.
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