Matt Maudlin has been involved for many years in improving the live of the homeless. Until last year, he was CEO of Servants Community Housing in Hawthorn which provides affordable accommodation for people without the means to provide a shelter for themselves. The facility is supported by a number of Rotary clubs in the area. Matt was awarded a Paul Harris Fellow by the Rotary Club of North Balwyn for his services to the community.
In 2017, Matt left Servants. He is currently working to support a number of different humanitarian causes including anti-human trafficking. However, his heart still lies with the homeless. And he's determined to do something about it.
Recent statistics indicate that there are 116,000 homeless people in Australia. There are three different levels of homelessness:
- Primary - People living on the street or squatting.
- Secondary - People who move around from one home to another, usually at friends places.
- Tertiary - People living in boarding houses and caravan parks.
Matt has decided to establish a concept known as Purple Cloak.
To explain the concept, he related a story of how, when he was in Sydney, he was attracted to a homeless street person called Adrian and took the opportunity to chat with him for a time. It struck him that, while Matt and Adrian spent a few moments together, passers-by were willing to donate a few coins. What confounded Matt was that, when he moved away, the passing public chose to ignore Adrian. When Matt returned to Melbourne, he conducted the same experiment with the same outcome. His conclusion was that people do care about the homeless but they need guidance on how to assist.
Matt concluded Governments alone cannot resolve the homeless issue with cash grants, etc but the community could. Hence the Purple Cloak project.
Purple Cloak aims to take people who are ready to exit tertiary homeless settings (boarding houses, etc) and reintegrate them into mainstream society by providing them with decent leased-housing options, and also community support with a ‘Cloak’ of committed community members to share their skills, networks and experiences to help individuals achieve a brighter future. Perpetual support is not envisaged. There would a three-year end point.
Purple Cloak does not seek financial support from Government. In Matt's view, this entire project will survive and prosper on the generosity of the community (financial and otherwise). He perceives that the positive flow-on impacts of rehousing can be significant.