The PESP team is made up of remarkable people who have experienced being without a home and who volunteer their time to help others understand homelessness, its causes and solutions.
Each team member plays a vital role in enhancing understandings of homelessness and developing solutions, while promoting the transformative power of consumer participation in service design and policy making.
Current PESP team
Matt
Matt is a father of four, grandfather, and dog owner. He’s from the Bindal tribe in Queensland. He loves to learn about his family background and recently discovered that has also descended from Afghan cameleers! He currently works on a horse farm.
He first experienced being without a home at the age of 16 when he was couch surfing with friends, and then later on as an adult sleeping rough. He’s lived in social housing for years now and loves the warmth of having a home.
Matt’s greatest legacy is his children and he hopes that his advocacy work with CHP will make his family proud. He says that if he can help even one person who is lost – like he was – get onto the right path, he’ll be happy.
Lisa
Lisa is no stranger to overcoming challenges. She first experienced homelessness as a young teenager couch surfing and then sleeping rough in the city later as an adult. For Lisa, home is essential to her identity and her security. Everything changed for the better when she got a home.
Lisa wants to continue to advocate for people without a home so that no one has to feel unsafe and unhoused. She hopes that in the future, she can use her experiences to educate people about how easy it is to lose your home and how important it is to have more social housing.
Lisa has two teenage kids and two dogs, and she’s a proud mother of all of them!
Amanda
Amanda is a single mum with a very dynamic young daughter. Alongside her advocacy work with CHP, she is also involved with the Council of Single Mothers and their Children (CSMC). Amanda has qualifications in early childhood education and business executive administration – so she’s very busy!
Amanda first experienced homelessness as a teenager and she struggled to get into private rental at that age so she lived in boarding houses and with families that took her in. She found herself without a home again and she lived in refuges, with nuns, and in crisis accommodation while she was pregnant.
Amanda has been in transitional housing for the past three years but is looking forward to the day that she can have a forever home.
Cathie
Cathie has been working in the banking and financial sector for around eight years.
She moved into a youth refuge when she was younger and continued to live there while she completed her university degree, applied for graduate jobs, and looked for properties in the private rental market.
Cathie is deeply passionate about helping young people without a home. She is committed to making a difference for those who have found themselves on the wrong side of the tracks in Australia’s housing crisis.
To view an introductory video with Cathie, email [email protected]
PESP graduate team
As well as our current PESP members, Council to Homeless Persons is fortunate to work with a group of PESP graduates who have remained with us as part of the team. Many graduates have worked with us for a number of years with continued valued contributions and insights.
Meet some of the PESP graduates with our range of videos, or get in touch for more information about our PESP graduates.
Book a PESP team member
Current PESP team members and PESP graduates who have completed the program are available to take part in your activities.
To engage the PESP team or for more information, email [email protected]