Eight years ago, Jimmy Hoyle was in the depths of despair.
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He was homeless on the streets of Sydney, dealing with the complex psychological trauma stemming from the second time he was the victim of significant physical abuse.
The first occurred when he was still a child.
The second was as a 21-year-old trying to forge a career in real estate in Sydney, getting by on a minimum wage traineeship.
Living in a city far removed from his hometown at Lilydale, Jimmy fell into a spiral of drug abuse and, ultimately, homelessness for more than four months after "over-staying" his welcome sleeping on couches at friends' houses.
"With the drugs, it was just anything I could get my hands on to block the pain. It did to me what it does to everyone - it ruined my life," Jimmy said.
"Anyone that says they are OK with sleeping rough like that is kidding themselves. The only saving grace was that in winter in Sydney it's still 20 degrees.
"My mother basically picked me up and carried me home. It's not an uncommon story. There are similar stories like this all across the country, but there are to few of us that get through it to speak about it."
Years later and approaching 30, Jimmy stands proudly behind the bar as licensee of Phoenix on Brisbane Street - the culmination of a roller coaster decade where he rediscovered how to engage with people and pursued his ultimate dream.
Finding meaning in life
Returning to Tasmania was a humbling experience. The simple act of having strangers say "g'day" on the street and treat him like a human was disconcerting.
He moved between real estate agents in Launceston as a property manager before having an "epiphany".
"It was a 'what am I doing?' moment," Jimmy said.
"I applied for this job called a placement co-ordinator. I didn't even know what that was. The next morning MAX Employment asked for a phone interview and a week later I had a job."
It brought him in contact with the jobless and homeless people of Northern Tasmania, but also back into an office environment where his self-admittedly abrasive personality - the result of his past trauma - put him in regular conflict with others.
He then became site manager of the Salvation Army Employment Plus site in Devonport, one of the organisation's most difficult areas, but Jimmy saw it as a way to turn his life around through helping others practically.
"I used to march from one end of the state to the other with arms full of job seeker resumes and I would force people to give these people a go," he said.
"I would guilt employers, saying 'Have you ever met a homeless person before?'
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"So much of the population in the North-West is underemployed, full-time jobs are few and far between. You get people coming in in tears because they need a job to buy food for their kids, to pay bills. Those are the people we need to help."
As site manager, he said they approved spending to help stop clients from being evicted from their homes as a last resort to avoid homelessness situations. A permanent residence was essential for maintaining work.
Jimmy said this was all too common in Tasmania - desperate people being evicted with nowhere to go.
Without housing, everything else in life would fall apart.
"It's a vicious cycle, Jimmy said.
A Gumtree ad and a 'filthy' tenancy
Jimmy always had a dream of opening a hospitality business in Launceston, but struggled to find the finance.
He instead turned to finding a failing business to pick up "on the cheap", and spotted the ideal candidate in the form of a Gumtree ad.
The tenants of the Brisbane Street address ran a Chinese restaurant and owned the furniture, but did not have access to the site. They were in rental arrears, so Jimmy took on the lease.
"It was derelict," he said.
"It had been empty for nearly a year, everything was filthy, the electrics were non-compliant and the plumbing was up shit creek, literally.
"There was 12 kilograms of grease I had to remove from the kitchen walls.
"All of my money went into making a non-compliant building compliant, and then I had to use my nous to make the place look pretty with no money."
He did a range of cosmetic work himself after watching YouTube videos, bought a bunh of second hand equipment and repurposed old furniture and picture frames from the previous tenants
Phoenix opened nine months ago with a philosophy of "eats, speaks and drinks", using local produce.
"The reason I named it Phoenix was because people all remembered something different here: West End, Ursulas, Montezuma's, Sims, Joyce, Mihn Bu, Enyx and Theodoti's - it always seems to come back. It's a phoenix," he said.
Jimmy said the precinct near the Princess Theatre had the potential to develop a dining and bar scene, much like how Charles Street has its cafe scene.
"Having had the privilege of walking into over a thousand Tasmanian businesses across all corner of the state, anywhere that has a quality business, there's other quality businesses next to them," he said.
"I don't think multiple quality food and liquor establishments detract from each other.
"We need to bring Eat Street to Brisbane Street."
Dream of a bar approaches
Zoned for dining only, Jimmy has been unable to utilise the space at the back of Phoenix for his plans for a relaxed bar with late-night music.
Patrons regularly come in seeking a relaxed place to grab a drink, but Jimmy has to turn them away unless they buy a meal.
He has submitted a development application with the City of Launceston to change this zoning, and then will apply for a new liquor licence until 3am, but would likely operate until midnight at first with a jazz and wine bar vibe.
"My target market is people that are happy to start here for after work drinks, have dinner and then move out the back for a bit of a jam," Jimmy said.
"My definition of a wine bar is somewhere cool and funky where you can have a chat with friends. Like, literally listen to them."
The development application is open for comment until July 3.
Looking back on the past 10 years, Jimmy knows he has not always been the best to work with from those who have crossed his path, but he believes he has made positive changes and is enthusiastic about his future at Phoenix.
"When you need help, sometimes it's as simple as saying, 'please help me'," he said.
"I've had a privileged life I think. I know there are so many others who are nowhere near as fortunate."