After years of street sleeping and moving from place to place, Adam now has a place to call home – with the support of Neami’s Supported Transition and Engagement Program (STEP) B team.
For more than 12 months, Adam has lived in long term housing, marking a significant change after many years of instability shaped by drug use that began in his teens.
‘I’ve been using drugs since I was 16,’ Adam says. ‘Using needles, using speed, drinking. I just didn’t care.’
Over time, crystal meth became central to his life and repeatedly pulled him back onto the streets.
‘When you’re on ice, it tells you that you’re not doing anything wrong,’ he says. ‘Everyone else is wrong. It controls your mind.’
Street sleeping in the city
For long periods, Adam slept on the streets near Royal Prince Alfred Hospital in Sydney. He stayed in a small tent weighed down with rocks, with a thin mattress inside.
One night, heavy rain flooded the tent. That night led to contact with outreach workers and his first step into temporary accommodation.
‘A worker came up and said, “Pick your stuff up, mate. We’re going to put you in temporary accommodation,”’ Adam says.
Adam moved between several short term places. The waiting and uncertainty took its toll, and at times he returned to the streets.
‘I got sick of the bed bugs, the condemned lodgings and the waiting, so I went back,’ he says. ‘More than once.’
Throughout this period, Adam stayed connected with support from Newtown Neighbourhood Centre. Over time, those relationships created a pathway towards housing.
‘What helped me get housing was the outreach team at Neami getting together and getting me off the streets,’ Adam says.
A moment that changed everything
Everything shifted when Adam received a phone call telling him he was on the priority list for housing.
‘I’d lost my phone, so I was using a mate’s,’ he says. ‘They said, “You’re on the priority list. You won’t be on the streets again.”
‘When they told me I wouldn’t have to spend another night on the street, I just smiled. But things don’t happen straight away. You have to wait. It takes time.’
Learning to feel safe in a home
Adjusting to housing did not happen overnight. Despite having a new bed, Adam slept on the floor for several months.
‘Sleeping on the ground felt safer,’ he says. ‘That’s what I was used to.’
Over time, his home became somewhere he could rest and settle. Having a stable place to live also helped Adam reconnect with family.
‘I have my life back,’ he says. ‘My family’s starting to talk to me more now that I’ve got my own place and I’m off the drugs.’
Feeling listened to
Adam says the support he received from Neami made a lasting difference.
‘Neami put a roof over my head,’ he says. ‘They gave me a different life. Without them, I’d still be on the street.’
The way workers showed up mattered to him. ‘They sit down and ask if you’re all right, if you need anything,’ Adam says. ‘They really listen. That means a lot.’
After years of handling everything on his own, accepting support was not easy.
‘I didn’t ask for help before,’ he says. ‘I felt like I put myself on the streets. That was hard to get past.’
