This week brave Northern Tasmanians came forward at a public council meeting and shared their horrific experiences while living homeless. They shared their fears of dying on the streets, after watching their friends die in such a tragic way.
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Homelessness is not a new issue in the state, country or the world. But for Tasmania, the problem only seems to be getting worse, and people's lives are at risk daily.
In recent weeks, and more broadly over the years, The Examiner has highlighted the need to offer more support to those living on the streets, or couch surfing, or sleeping in their cars. There is not one type of homeless person. Not all people who end up on the street have a drug addiction or don't work.
Women escaping family violence, families struggling to find accommodation in a shrinking market, and young people who have slipped through the cracks are all at risk of being homeless.
The most recent stories told during this week's meeting in Launceston included Rowan Eisner, a lecturer for the Tasmanian Institute of Agriculture, who spoke about how housing can impact professionals.
"I had to move seven times in the last eight months," she told the council.
"I now live in a semi-derelict room with no glass in the windows."
With housing prices rising dramatically, and government promises to build more affordable accommodation only playing catch up to a problem that has existed for years, there is little hope for those who are spending tonight out in the cold - yet again. For women escaping family violence, there needs to be more emergency accommodation. The state and federal governments have announced funding for shelters such as Magnolia Place in the North, but there are shelters across the state with lines out the door and women on waiting lists.
These women must choose between potentially dying at home at the hands of their violent partner, or dying on the street. It is a reality Allison - a woman who also shared her story during the council meeting - has faced since living on the streets.
"I've lost four friends in the last six years living this way," she said.
"They've died around me on the streets. I feel my time is next. Six years I have lived like this, domestic violence brought me here. " There are some fantastic initiatives, such as the mobile locker project created by Strike it Out founder Kirsten Ritchie, which the council passed a motion for a 12-month contract during the meeting.
But there needs to be more action, and immediate action. Councils, governments, and organisations need to work together to find a solution that not only gets people off the streets, but keeps them off the streets.
