It is something that many of us take for granted – our family, friends and others who we can talk to when we need. However, spare a thought for somebody who experiences homelessness and lacks these social connections. 

 

“Imagine you were struggling?,” Ashleigh Habkouk asks. “Depressed, isolated, perhaps mentally ill and most likely hungry – the difference it would make if someone just took a bit out of their day to help you, to feed you and to lift you up.”

 

The 21-year-old is determined to make a vast difference to the lives of homeless people.

A skilful volunteer in various fields, Habkouk has previous experience with offering services to the homeless during her time in high school at Mount Saint Benedict College, Pennant Hills in New South Wales. 

 

Whilst this experience sparked an interest in her, it was not until Habkouk arrived in Fremantle, Western Australia where she was confronted by the brutality of the issue. 

 

At the tender age of 18, Habkouk moved 4,000 kilometres to the other side of the country to achieve her dream of becoming a doctor by studying Biomedical Science and Pre-Medicine at the University of Notre Dame.

 

It started becoming common for Habkouk to find homeless people outside her front door – a distinct contrast to the nouveau riche environment of her hometown in Kenthurst, New South Wales. 

 

“I felt guilty that my parents had given me so many privileges and that I had much more than a roof over my head, yet these people did not have access to showers,” she says. 

 

“It just seemed so unfair to me. “I felt responsible to ensure that I used a platform to help others and I am a true believer that if you have the power to do good, you must do it!”

 

The aspiring geriatrician, a specialist doctor who cares for over sixty-fives, witnessed firsthand the ordinary challenges that homeless people faced. 

 

Habkouk recalls an evening during her first semester at university when a young man, perhaps just shy of 20 years old, begged her for some small change. Her parents had always told her that if she were to ever find herself in such a situation, she should say that she had none.

 

“Truthfully, I did not,” Habkouk says.

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However, she did have her debit card on hand and decided to buy the young man dinner. After ordering him a chicken burger meal, despite him insisting on just a small bowl of chips, she saw that he treated the food as if it were “some five-star a-la-carte” meal.

 

“This was the exact moment which spurred in me a firing compassion and interest towards homelessness,” she says.

 

With experiences like this in the back of her mind, Habkouk started searching for a better way to facilitate their daily challenges. It was close to midnight, Habkouk had been working on an exciting project all day and she asked her friend Ashley Benny for some assistance.

 

“Habkouk called me to her to dormitory room saying she was excited about something,” Benny recalls. 

 

When Benny arrived, Habkouk told her that she was eager to start up a charity to help the homeless.

 

“I was supportive but worried [at the same time] because she would have eccentric ideas now and then,” Benny says.

 

With the name of the charity and a logo already sorted, Habkouk was not going to put this idea aside for another day. However, Benny became apprehensive about how they were both going to run a charity alongside their full-time studies.

 

Benny’s concerns were later overshadowed by Habkouk’s drive and enthusiasm. 

“We knew we had hit a jackpot of an idea,” Benny says. “In less than twenty-four hours, [HungerNoMoreAu] was born.” 

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Since originating back in May 2018, HungerNoMoreAU has been entirely run by a voluntary network comprised of compassionate Biomedical Science students, who Habkouk had met while she was living on-campus at Notre Dame.  

 

They prepare healthy sandwiches and fruits, which they then hand-deliver to people living on the streets. In addition, HungerNoMoreAU distributes toiletry and care packages to both vulnerable men and women.

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However, it has not been all smooth sailing for Habkouk and her team at HungerNoMoreAU.

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“We rely on donations and when these run dry it is really difficult to keep up with our regular activities,” Habkouk says. 

 

HungerNoMoreAu hold a food run just once a month, across Fremantle and the Sydney CBD. Whilst, out delivering food to the homeless, Habkouk noticed that they lacked meaningful social connections. 

 

According to a recent Australian report, 21 per cent of those who are homeless reported having “no friends” that they could share their thoughts and feelings with, whereas 27 per cent had “no family contact” and required social support.

 

“Social relationships are essential to the wellbeing of a person,” University of Sydney postdoctoral researcher Marlee Bower says.

 

Bower says one of the main pathways into homelessness is relationship breakdown, which suggests that some people enter homelessness with previously damaged social networks. 

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People who have a lived experience of loneliness can be particularly prone to social isolation and loneliness."

 

  

Social networks often develop between homeless people, however they are often small and involuntary, indicating that most people’s relationships may lack depth.

 

“Feeling lonely for long periods of time can have negative repercussions on people’s social skills and their own mental and physical health,” Bower says.

 

In 2018, Bower conducted semi-structured interviews with those who had current and lived experiences of homelessness.

Her participants felt as if they were “instantaneously ignored” by mainstream society.

 

“The experience of being homeless is a very stigmatising and marginalised experience, which can be extremely isolating for people,” she says.

 

Bower says this stigmatisation can negatively impact a person’s ability to effectively “exit” homelessness, therefore it

must shift.

 

“By reducing the stigma of homelessness, people who have experienced it may feel more comfortable connecting with others in their community, once they are housed.”

 

Habkouk has been networking with homeless people to ensure that they feel valued and less alone.

Benny says that Habkouk approaches homeless people with such “friendliness and humour” and this encourages them to immediately interact with her.

 

“Habkouk has a gift of making people feel comfortable around her and she is gentle and understanding with all the people she approaches,” Benny says. 

 

“She always makes a [conscious] effort to stop and chat with every single homeless person she comes across, learns their names and a bit more about them.”

 

Over the past four years, Habkouk has been able to assist approximately 650 homeless people. 

 

“Seeing the sparkles in their eyes as they realise that someone is willing to help them and show them love is priceless,” Habkouk says. 

 

Having now moved back to Sydney, Habkouk intends to start studying a Doctor of Medicine in January of next year, all while managing the operations of her thriving charity. 

 

Ultimately, she is encouraging young people to follow in her footsteps and help out the homeless. 

 

“It can be overwhelming to begin with, occasionally it might be scary and most likely confronting, however if people just give themselves a chance, they will realise the power of helping others,” Habkouk says. 

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One act of kindness can potentially make a concrete difference in

someone’s life."