Our Story
Learn why we exist
News
A lasting legacy for people experiencing homelessness
A reclusive and frugal GP, the late Dr Dianne Houghton, has quietly made a lasting difference to Sydney’s homeless community. Dr Houghton, who worked for much of her life at Laurieton, near Port Macquarie and occasionally attended Christ Church St Laurence, near Central Station, left a multi-million dollar bequest when she died in 2018. She established a charitable Trust in…
Omicron: how homelessness services are faring
Frontline workers have been under extra stress during the festive season, with many working extra shifts as colleagues test positive, or are forced into self-isolation. This comes as many residents in the Haymarket Foundation’s crisis accommodation facility were also affected by Omicron, despite increased infection control. Those residents have now recovered and returned to the refuge in Sydney’s Chippendale. “We…
We are national finalists!
The team behind the Haymarket Foundation’s medical practice have been named as finalists in a national award. The team, which provides accessible health care and chronic care management to people experiencing or at-risk of homelessness, is a finalist in the HESTA Impact Awards. The service is operating out of a practice in Chippendale, with a purpose-designed drop-in GP practice to…
A lifeline extended for non-residents
The new year will start on a brighter note for 12 non-Australian residents who were forced into rough sleeping during the second lockdown. Government funding has been extended for their hotel-style accommodation until 10 January – and the Haymarket Foundation will continue its support of this group including asylum seekers, refugees and other non-residents. This group are not entitled to…
A culturally appropriate place to heal
At the worst of his drinking, Matt ended up in a Sydney hospital four times in just two months. “The staff were sick of me,” he recalls. “I remember spending Christmas in emergency and new year in the psych ward.” Drinking at 14, he spent the next 16 years in a cycle of alcohol abuse and despair. “I was underweight,…
A warm welcome for everyone
People experiencing homelessness like Tyler are frequently turned away: from housing and other essential services. Here at the Haymarket Foundation, we know that homelessness and health are interlinked. That’s why we have started a medical practice dedicated to the health needs of this group – and to end of the cycle of homelessness and disadvantage. No-one will be turned away…
Moving on from a small pond
One of Michael’s significant early milestones was grim: as a toddler, he almost drowned after falling into a pond in the Central West of NSW. The rest of his childhood was also traumatic: beatings, an alcoholic mother and a predatory stepfather. “By the time I was 18, I was an addict. By 19, I could see how it was making…
Cooking up a new future
On the day Archie’s ankle bracelet was removed after five years, he also got another break: his first safe and stable accommodation in some time. “I’ve been in and out of custody since I was 11,” he says. “Every time I’d get out, I was only out for about four weeks and then I’d be locked up again.” Around the…
A road less travelled
Cars have always been a feature of Ericka-Jayne’s life: there was a successful smash repair business, later a period of stealing vehicles to help support a drug habit. “I was known as the Seven Hills car park bandit. It went on for years until A Current Affair caught me.” While that landed some community service, life has since moved on…
More support for our GP practice
There’s been increasing support for the Haymarket Foundation’s medical practice focused on the health needs of people experiencing homelessness. In 2022, a purpose-designed bulk-billing practice will open opposite Central Station. In the meantime, face-to-face consultations at the Chippendale practice are ramping up. The City of Sydney has awarded a three-year grant to help pay for the salary of a nurse….