Brisbane Turns Parking Lots Into A Safe Place For The Homeless To Sleep

There isn’t one person on this earth who would choose being homeless, having no warm bed to sleep in at night, having no roof over their head, not knowing where your next meal will come from… But, unfortunately, this is the reality for millions of people in the world whether it is because of mounting debt, illness, or inability to find work.

Now, a non-profit organization in Brisbane, Australia, has found a great way to help those people, at least a little bit.

Norman McGillivray, the founder of the organizatioj and mind behind this idea, wanted to find a way to have a meaningful impact, to help the homeless people in his city, but he did not want to simply replicate the other services that were already available.

During a trip to a local shopping center, McGillivray made an observation about the carpark – it was nearly empty and the idea for Beddown was born.

The goal of Beddown is to take spaces throughout cities that are used during the day but are left empty at night and turn them into pop-up shelters for people who would otherwise be sleeping on the street.

During the first trial they even had doctors, nurses, dentists, and hairdressers providing services to the homeless, as well as offering them new clothing and a place to clean themselves.

By doing all this Beddown is having a profound impact on the homeless population in Brisbane.

Here is what some of the participants in the trial had to say:

“After spending the week here, having a good sleep at night and a routine, it reminded me of life and I booked myself into Rehab for 6 months.”

“Being able to sleep all night and away from drugs, I’m clearer in the day and have not used drugs for 8 days.”

“It’s the first time I have had a dream in years.”

“I don’t have to watch my back here.”