Pulling on clothes with so many layers that you can't move easily, and sleeping through chattering teeth in a tent with no mattress with one eye open is the reality for many of Tasmania's homeless community.
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A rising cost of living crisis, along with a housing market that has a stranglehold on rentals and a dire shortage of affordable housing has plunged more and more people into homelessness in Launceston.
Those who find themselves homeless are forced to seek out the services of organisations like Strike it Out, formerly Launceston Feeding the Homeless, who provide hot meals and other items, along with a friendly ear twice a week at Royal Park.
Homelessness is a complex challenge, with multiple facets, but there are some people in the community who are doing all they can to address the stigma homeless people face daily.
Two people who turn up to Strike it Out's meal session are Kat and Brad* who have both been homeless for over two years.
When you ask them about their situation, and how they ended up on the streets, they are both matter-of-fact.
Brad says he had a troubled home life and left home when he was 12 years old. He spent a number of years couch-surfing with friends, but eventually he was left with nowhere else to go but to rough it out when he was 15. He's now 21 years old.
Originally from Queensland, Brad said there were three things that made sleeping on the streets difficult.
"It's winter here at the moment, as you know, so on a daily basis we have to contend with the cold. It's very cold, you don't really get to sleep at night," he said.
For Kat, the cold winter air is the least of her worries. She sleeps with one eye open, for reasons that are troubling and serious. Alleged attempted assaults and stolen belongings are frequent occurrences, and Kat said she was caught up in one recently.
However, Tasmania Police said they have no record of it. For Kat, assaults are a regular part of her life that she now has a "starting over pack" with her at all times. A small backpack with everything she owns.
Kat's journey to homelessness is alarming in how normal it starts out, once she was "working full time and had a house" and then, a hop, skip and a jump and she was out.
"I used to work full-time and all of that, but then I got into a bad relationship....I had to sell my house and here I am," she said.
Her story is a stark reminder for everyone about how easily things can go wrong, and that's something felt keenly by Strike it Out founder Kirsten Ritchie.
"You know, these guys, they are the strongest people that I know," she says, her voice cracking slightly with emotion. Ms Ritchie started Launceston Feeding the Homeless because of a desire to help those less fortunate, but this year she said, they are seeing more people than ever need help.
"We have also had the Tasmanian Aboriginal Centre also reach out to us, we've expanded our outreach into those areas, because they have just said to us 'we can't cope with how many people there are that need help'..." she said.
She said they get five to 10 new clients per week reaching out for help, which is exacerbated by the housing and rental crisis, along with the cost of living.
Thanks to donations from the community they have worked with Devonport Police and handed out 20 sleeping bags, 23 packs, 20 clothing packs to the homeless community.
However she said she remained frustrated at the lack of support from the business community, and from retail stores, as well as the City of Launceston Council.
She said working with the council had been difficult and she had been asked to join the homelessness advisory committee they had established but had declined.
"I would rather put my effort into being out here and actually helping people, rather than wasting time on the phone or having my emails ignored," she said.
However, the council did assist her in establishing permanent lockers at Royal Park, behind the yacht club, where the homeless community can store their belongings. Ms Ritchie said the onus was on the leaders of the community to step up and provide some decent land where buildings could be opened up or camps set up with amenities and service providers to help people when they were in need.
Strike it Out also provides services in Devonport, Campbell Town and Ulverstone.
*Surnames withheld.
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