You may recall that I have previously posted about Street Swags and that I have handed them out to some of the rough sleeping homeless guys that I have encountered in the recent past. It was through that last post that I was introduced to Backpack Beds by Swags for Homeless by a very passionate commenter and an ad on an OurCommunity newsletter. Subsequently I chose to go find out more and must say that I have been suitably impressed enough to not hand out any more of the Street Swags but move to supplying the homeless folk that I meet with replacement Backpack Beds.
The Swags for Homeless Van. Notice how full the back is. It was CRAMMED with Backpack Beds!
To that end, I have met the folks behind Swags for Homeless and must say that Tony and his wife, Lisa, are very passionate about serving the homeless with their skills and resources, which is where the Backpack Bed was born. Both are passionate followers of Jesus and have done much to help Holy Fools in our efforts to help the homeless. During the writing of this article, I handed out a swag to Gordon, who had been sleeping on a piece of cardboard in the city. All he had to keep warm was a thin blanket. When given a Backpack Bed, his comment to me was,
“Thank you! You don’t know how much this means to me! It has given me back some pride and dignity!”
Late last year I went out with Tony and Lisa to join the St. Vincent De Paul food van in the city on their Friday night run. We spent the evening handing out stacks of Backpack beds and seeing and meeting many of the rough sleeping homeless in the inner city of Melbourne. That effort that night was part of Swags for Homeless effort to meet the needs of each of the estimated 800 plus rough sleepers in the city of Melbourne. I met many folk that night who either shook my hand with a grin, or hugged me or in one case, kissed the jade cross around my neck. It was an amazing night.
Tony Clark from Backpack Beds
We went out with the St. Vincent de Paul Food Van for their run into the inner city on a Friday night.
Tony & I at the end of very busy night. Together we handed out almost 50 Backpack Beds to the rough sleeping homeless we met.
I have been loath to compare the two swags that I have encountered in my efforts to help the homeless. Both are designed for the homeless, but I cannot get past the effort that Swags for Homeless has gone through to get their Backpack Beds to be safe, clean, useable, user-friendly and cost-effective. In fact, charities can buy both swags at the same price of $60 per swag. When you compare the two, there is no comparison that can be made that places the swags from Street Swags in a good light. That being said, I do applaud Street Swags for their passion and effort to meet the need that they perceived. It is that same passion and need that has driven Backpack Beds to really produce a far-superior, far-safer and far-more effective swag.
Have a look at the Backpack bed. Here’s Tony demonstrating the Backpack Bed.
And here’s Chris, demonstrating the bed to some homeless guys. I love their impromptu sales questions!
I would urge any agencies, churches or individuals who are dealing with those who are homeless or in danger of homelessness and sleeping rough, to order some Backpack Beds from Swags for Homeless to hand out or keep on hand. Go take a look at their website here.
And if you like the bed, there is a version for sale that supports the free ones that have been given out to the rough sleepers and subsidises the beds given to the homelesss.
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This is a great thing to do! All my respect to you!
This seems like a very nice project, but I sincerely hope that the government has some housing plans for the future. Homeless people are homeless because they have no other choice. They should get more help and maybe get them off the streets.
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Adam Gollam – Hong Kong Hotels
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