Hi, My name is Adam Deeley, I am trying to help a courageous young man by the name of Matthew. Matthew is 24 years old and currently sleeping rough in Melbourne's streets. I met Matthew on the 6th of October 2024 in Melbourne. His smile and kind face led me to stop and chat with him and see what I could do to help. His positive nature, gentle spirit, and kind heart were immediately evident, and I felt driven to help Matthew in any way I could. I couldn't do that much, but over the next 6 weeks, I found time and money to buy him some basics and give him some cash occasionally so he could get himself a decent meal. If I could, I would do so much more for Matthew, but I am not exactly cash-fluid currently, like so many of us. Matthew's story is all too common, and it seems that so many good, clean-living people are swept up into homelessness. Once they're there, the downward spiral into ill health, drug abuse, despair and PTSD and other mental health challenges are so hard to avoid. Add the constant threats from the evils of this world both physical and other and survival without permanent scars seems unlikely. It's no wonder that we see such broken people lining our streets. Very few people recover from homelessness and it will shape their lives forever. Matthew's problems stem from being abandoned by his father at a young age. A mother who does not have the strength to guide and care for him and look after herself, and a stepfather who does not want him around and has a strong hold over his mother. Matthew came to Melbourne from Tasmania with dreams of making a fresh start and being self-sufficient away from his toxic family life. He dreamed of working on a property with a friend of his, who had convinced him that employment was waiting for them both on a family's farm. Unfortunately, this did not work out and Matthew found himself without cash, shelter, support or even personal identification. Partly through a mix of circumstances, covid restrictions, naivety, and lack of the required skills to make it on his own he has found himself homeless and running out of hope. He can not get social support because he has no ID currently. He is speaking and regularly meeting with a social worker who is trying to get his ID arranged so that he can get into the support system and crisis housing. Unfortunately, this process is very slow and quite frankly broken. Matthew is healthy, sober and genuinely lovely. I just want him to be safe so he can remain that way and get back on his feet. The other day I got some inspiration and I thought that this may be a way of securing him 6 months of rented accommodation, bills and a security bond for a bare-bones furnished studio apartment. Hopefully, we can raise a full year's worth. If the fundraiser is successful, I will organise and pay the rent and bills for him in my name (as he won't get approval for a rental property, with no rental history or ID) for as long as we can raise the funds. I would suggest that he would need 12 months to get himself sorted so that he doesn't end up back in the same situation. But I think 6 months is a good start. The breakdown is as follows $350 per week for rent, $1521 bond, $50 per week for utilities, and $500 for some bedding and household stuff. Please, help me to help Matthew. Don't let this great soul become another casualty of this cold world. If we don't raise enough, I will find a way of using all of the money to help him in other ways. Maybe we will raise enough for 3 months' accommodation for him. Please give generously if you are able, if not please take this story and perhaps think differently when you pass a homeless person next time. Imagine them, sober, clean, and smiling and know that they used to be someone different before life hurt them. Thank you for reading Matthew's story.