Homeless ministry faces move

Agnes Wilson | 9 August 2006

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Homeless work relocated to Bondi Beach
With Malcolm Bloomfield’s retirement, Anglicare will wind up the work of the St Michael’s, Surry Hills, drop-in-centre by December.

The Rev Francis Chalwell, rector of St Michael’s, Surry Hills says he understands the decision, but adds it is ‘abrupt’.

Mr Chalwell says St Michael’s will continue to run its Bread of Life ministry to the marginalised, which provides breakfast, church and a Bible Study to up to 80 homeless people.

Anglicare’s emergency relief work will be relocated to its regional head office at Bondi Beach, although it is exploring options of new satellite centres in the inner city.

“It has been a wonderful ministry partnership with St Michael’s Anglican Church for the past 25 years and we wish St Michael’s all the very best,” said Peter Kell, CEO of Anglicare.

“Our emergency relief program will continue and we are seeking new partnership opportunities with other churches in the area with a heart for reaching out to people in need.”

Mr Kell says changing demographics is behind the decision.

“With the change in demographics in the Surry Hills area and the significant decrease in clients who are now using the drop-in centre, we are also looking to help the destitute in the inner city in other ways.

Mr Chalwell is holding an unofficial and ‘unplugged’ farewell giving locals an opportunity to say good-bye to Malcolm at St Michael’s church hall at 2pm tomorrow.

This is the last winter more than 900 people who are homeless or sleep on the streets of the inner-city will have food, warm clothes and a friendly face to talk to because of Malcolm Bloomfield.

For a quarter of a century, Malcolm, Manager of Anglicare’s emergency relief program in Surry Hills, has provided food, clothing and financial assistance with the support of Anglican churches to those enduring homelessness and mental illness.

“St Andrew’s San Souci, St Philip’s Caringbah, St Clements Jannali, St Cuthbert’s Carlton and St Stephen’s Belrose particularly have been a great source of encouragement for many years,” says Malcolm.

As he retires this month, Malcolm says it was this support and the belief in the worth of all people before God that has kept him working for more than 25 years to care for the homeless of Surry Hills.

“We are on a level playing field when it comes to God. We can’t bring our riches, our intellect and wealth to Him on the last day. But the fact that Jesus died for me places a value on my life and every other life on this planet,” explains Malcolm.

“It was because God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son to die for our sins. Therefore I believe even the most destitute and marginalised have value in His sight.”

Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to the community this year, Malcolm has been spat at, verbally abused and physically attacked by the very people he was there to help.

However, in his 25 years of service Malcolm says he has never been more discouraged than the times he experienced the hard-heartedness of some residents in the area.

“It was during the mid-1990s when more and more professionals were moving into Surry Hills. Land value was increasing and some just didn’t want people like our clients to devalue their investment,” explains Malcolm.

“Our callousness to the suffering and misery of others can be quite breathtaking at times. Instead of lending us a hand to help, a residents’ action group formed to protest services like ours in the area because they believed we attracted what they called in their pamphlets ‘human scum’.”

For people like Frank, who has been sleeping rough on the streets for the last 11 years, the Anglicare Surry Hills drop in centre has provided much needed comfort and care.

Frank explains that he had come to Australia in the 1950s from Italy. At one time in his life he had a wife, a son, a job and a home but somewhere along the way he lost it all.

Now, according to Malcolm, drop-in centres like Anglicare Surry Hills, is one of the few places where Frank can feel accepted and cared for.

According to Peter Kell, CEO of Anglicare, Malcolm’s dedication and Christian care will be missed.

“We are grateful for Malcolm’s work among the homeless in Surry Hills,” says Mr Kell.

“The work he started among the homeless in the inner city will continue as we look to expand our emergency relief program, not only to the homeless and destitute in Surry Hills, but also to the surrounding suburbs.”

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