Swim for the Homeless

Hi, I’m Stuart Carrick, and I’m taking on the Busselton Jetty Swim to raise funds for Just Home Margaret River.

I've set up this GoFundMe campaign with a fundraising goal of $20,000 to help Just Home continue assisting people experiencing homelessness and housing stress in Margaret River.

‘Just Home’ is a grassroots movement for housing justice led by people with lived experiences of homelessness and their allies. Just Home’s goal is for everyone to have access to appropriate, accessible, affordable, secure, and sustainable housing or shelter.

I am one of the founding members of Just Home. Throughout my time with the movement and time as a resident of Margaret River, I've seen what housing insecurity looks like in all its forms, even being homeless myself for a time.

I care not just about the individuals who are affected by this issue, but I also care about the local economy. I care that businesses are struggling because they can't find staff that will be there for the long term, and I care that we don't even have a localised trained labour force to build and maintain our infrastructure. I care because people in this area who are homeless are forced to live in the bush – which also has all sorts of consequences for ecological health and fire safety. I care that our local resources are tied up in managing issues caused by homelessness when these resources could be put to much better use.

Providing a safe and affordable home for just one person will begin to mitigate the social and economic costs of managing the issues caused by homelessness.

I have taken it upon myself to compete in the Busselton Jetty Swim not only to raise money for Just Home but to raise awareness of homelessness in this area and hopefully garner the support we need to move forward in serving the Margaret River region. By helping me, you will assist Just Home to advocate for more social housing options in Margaret River, and to continue our services assisting those experiencing housing stress and homelessness. We aim to strengthen our community socially, economically and ecologically.

I have a few health issues that I've had to contend with throughout my life; Crohn's Disease, Type 1 Diabetes and Haemochromatosis also a rare neuromuscular condition named Myotonia Congenita, . I also struggle with personal mental health challenges. These conditions haven't stopped me from taking on this challenge. Rather it has fuelled my passion to fight for change.

Thank you very much for your support and for joining me in fighting for a brighter future.