We spoke with the Pastor about the unique challenges of creating a tight community in a socially distanced world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Q. Why is community so important to us as humans?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jon:<\/b> At Wayside Chapel, we believe the smallest human unit is two. We\u2019re all hard-wired for connection. We get our sense of security, safety and identity through our community. An Aboriginal lady once said to me. \u201cYou are who you eat with\u201d. I believe that! I am who I am because of who we all are. Community is the centre of everything we are as humans.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Q. What has been the impact of the pandemic on the Wayside Chapel community?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jon:<\/b> The pandemic has emptied dinner tables. We\u2019re all feeling that loss of identity. Our sense of self has taken a hit. It\u2019s not just the most vulnerable, it\u2019s all of us. We\u2019ve always had extended communities of cousins and uncles and aunts and friends. Not being able to connect has placed significant amounts of pressure on us.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So naturally, there is an increase in anxiety, disconnection and loneliness. Mother Teresa used to say loneliness is the leprosy of the West. This pandemic has only served to heighten that sense.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Q. And how has that affected the work of the Wayside Chapel?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jon:<\/b> It has had a big impact on the way we do service delivery, because if loneliness is a leprosy, the Wayside mission is about creating community. We\u2019ve always been able to create community in a specific location, in a space together. But we can\u2019t do that now, particularly when many people who are sleeping rough might be immunocompromised. The virus could have a devastating effect.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So, we completely changed the way we operate. Two thirds of our frontline workers now visit people in their homes and visit people on the streets. They can\u2019t come to us, so we go to them. We now do a significant amount of work supporting people with continuity of care wherever they might be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Q. Has homelessness increased during the pandemic?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n
Jon: <\/b>Actually, for a few wonderful days there was no homelessness! Last year, at the start of the Long Walk Home<\/a>, I said we dream of an Australia in which nobody sleeps rough. And because the government participated with not-for-profits to take people off the streets and put them into hotel rooms as a pandemic precaution, we had a tiny little window in which that dream became a reality! As a society, we actually solved homelessness for a minute.<\/p>\n\n\n\n But yes, there is a lot of work for us to do. No one ever grows up saying they want to be homeless. It always happens because of a breakdown in family and community, and there\u2019s plenty of breakdown happening right now. At the heart of the issue of homelessness is a broken heart.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q. Has the Wayside Chapel had to innovate to continue operating?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jon:<\/b> Absolutely. A year or two ago we had an innovation team and they had all of these plans. We looked at the plans and said, \u201cWouldn\u2019t that be lovely to do, one day!\u201d The things we once thought were impossible have now had to become very real.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We have learned so much about how to adapt. We\u2019ve proven to ourselves that we can do this. Now we\u2019re in this in-between time, we\u2019re in between the old certainty and the new reality. We\u2019re in uncertainty. But what we\u2019ve learned through the uncertainty is that we can make things happen a lot quicker than we ever dared dream possible. That\u2019s why I\u2019m excited and that\u2019s what I take heart in.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q. Can you describe the change you see in people once they become a part of your community?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jon:<\/b> We don\u2019t turn people around. People turn themselves around. When they first come into Wayside Chapel, it\u2019s usually on the worst day of their life. They\u2019re usually utterly convinced that what they\u2019re experiencing is completely unique and nobody will understand. Usually their lives are collapsing.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We know that when their question changes from \u201cWhat can you give me?\u201d to \u201cHow can I help?\u201d, something good is about to happen. That\u2019s the moment they realise there are people here that are with them and for them. We\u2019re not here to try and convince people of anything. We just help and encourage them to take baby steps towards life and health. We say that nobody is a problem to be solved, instead they\u2019re a person to be met.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q. With large gatherings likely not allowed, what are the Christmas plans for Wayside Chapel this year?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jon: <\/b>We\u2019re hopefully going to be able to have some form of gathering, but it will be subject to public health orders. What we are going to do is take Christmas away from December 25 and instead do Christmas over a week. If we can have Christmas over a week we make sure nobody misses out. Every day, we\u2019re going to ham it up \u2026 pun intended. In every possible way, over Christmas we\u2019re going to tell people they\u2019re loved.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Q. How can we, the public, help with your mission?<\/b><\/p>\n\n\n\n Jon: <\/b>One way is to walk or donate to the Long Walk Home<\/a>. We\u2019ve also got a Donate a Plate Christmas campaign in December. And finally, if you live in a neighbourhood where there are people who are sleeping on corners or doing it tough, even if you\u2019ve got a neighbour who\u2019s living alone, remember you are who you eat with. Invite someone to your table.<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re a charity that\u2019s heavily reliant on the generosity of the public, and all we can do right now is stay true to our mission. All we can do is continue to serve people as they come, and as we find them. What we do in the trenches is a statement of our deepest core values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n IAG is a major supporter of Wayside Chapel’s Long Walk Home, as it aligns perfectly with the company\u2019s values.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cAt NRMA Insurance we\u2019re guided by the purpose of our parent company IAG, \u2018to make your world a safer place\u2019. Our purpose has never been so relevant to our people, customers, communities and shareholders,\u201d says Mark Milliner, CEO, Australia Division (owner of NRMA Insurance).<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cWe are supporting community building within our organisation by adapting our use of technology and our ways of working to enable community and connection, despite physical separation. This is further enabled through our Community Connection program, which supports our employees who want to give back to the community through volunteering, fundraising and workplace giving.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe Long Walk Home is very closely linked to our purpose. It offers our people, customers and communities an opportunity to actively support those experiencing homelessness by putting themselves in their shoes for the 28km walk. It also enables us all to highlight the important issue of homelessness to society at large.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n PwC has also pledged its people to Wayside Chapel\u2019s purpose.<\/p>\n\n\n\n “Through our purpose PwC commits to solving important problems, and homelessness has been high on our priority list for the last few years,\u201d says Steve Billingham, PwC Partner and Global Relationship Partner for IAG.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe opportunity to support the Long Walk Home alongside one of our most important clients and a key strategic partner is fabulous. We are committed to helping make it a great success, again.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cPersonally, I have been involved in supporting the homeless for many years, initially through the Oasis Youth Project and more recently the Long Walk Home. I think in a year of massive upheaval, when perhaps we worry a bit more about things nearer to home, we also need to double down our focus on those less fortunate to ensure they get the help they need.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cLast year I really enjoyed the walk and the opportunity to meet volunteers, members and so many others, all focused on helping and having some fun on the way. I\u2019m looking forward to the walk!”<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cSeeing how Jon Owen and the Wayside Chapel team has persevered through this global pandemic, it is very clear that good things happen when you lead from a place of purpose and love \u2013 this is what Jon and the good people of Wayside do best,\u201d says Drew Friedman, Account Director at Salesforce. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cIn my opinion, homelessness shouldn’t exist at all, so I’m very proud of our Salesforce team of 96 participants. We’ve surpassed our fundraising goal of AU$50,000, hitting AU$54,000 this week \u2013 more than double the amount we raised last year.<\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cI am also thankful to be able to partner with companies like PwC and IAG on this important initiative, because as our CEO and Co-Founder Marc Benioff says, \u2018business is the greatest platform for change\u2019. <\/p>\n\n\n\n \u201cThe event overall has so far raised more than AU$930,000 \u2013 when three major organisations like ours and a community of purpose-led individuals can work with a group like Wayside, I believe we can take big strides.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n We\u2019re walking with Wayside Chapel to help people living on the streets. Almost 100 Salesforce participants are aiming to raise more than $50,000. You can still donate now<\/a> \u2013 just $50 will provide a care pack and hot meal for a person in crisis.<\/i><\/p>\n\n\n\n <\/a> Our header image is from last year\u2019s Long Walk Home \u2013 when we all got to walk the 28km as a group in one day.<\/sup><\/i><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" Working and living at the intersection of the housed and the homeless, the haves and the have-nots, also means standing between love and hate. That\u2019s a very fine line, says Jon Owen, Pastor…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":49897,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"sf_justforyou_enable_alt":true,"optimizely_content_id":"5261046905464309990e37ab96ed9b7d","post_meta_title":"","ai_synopsis":"","jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":""},"sf_topic":[2475,2582,2540,2575],"sf_content_type":[],"coauthors":[2454],"class_list":["post-49895","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","sf_topic-business-as-a-platform-for-change","sf_topic-charity","sf_topic-salesforce-culture","sf_topic-salesforce-ohana"],"yoast_head":"\nHow Long Walk Home sponsors are standing with the Wayside Chapel<\/h2>\n\n\n\n
IAG takes The Long Walk Home<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
PwC puts on its walking shoes<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
Using our platform for change<\/h3>\n\n\n\n
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