By Derek Schlennstedt
When it’s time to dig deeper and help others, Holy Fools CEO Neal Taylor and Yarra Ranges councillor Tim Heenan can be seen at the coalface.
While it’s no secret there is a housing accommodation crisis in the Lilydale region – it still may shock many when Mr Taylor speaks of the magnitude.
On any given night, in the backstreets and parks of Lilydale, Mr Taylor can pick out the many locations where people often select to sleep.
Holy Fools, as an organisation, and the duo have campaigned heavily in recent times for a drop-in centre in Lilydale, which they say is a ‘must’ for the region.
Cr Heenan is adamant this needs to happen, and is doing way more than just talking the talk.
This year marked Cr Heenan’s 10th where he has braved the cold and frost, spending as many as nine nights sleeping under the stars in a cardboard box.
Early last month, Cr Heenan said he had spent 134 days in total sleeping in a cardboard box in Melba Park, Lilydale.
Cr Heenan began the sleepouts in 2008, and said he would continue to participate until people became informed.
“A lot of stuff we do is all reactive, but if we really looked inside our hearts and heads, we should be doing things more proactively,” Cr Heenan said.
“We keep doing this because we haven’t got the ultimate.
“Holy Fools needs a drop-in centre, a factory space in Lilydale, and we need someone to come forward.”
Cr Heenan said Lilydale had long been a hub for homelessness and, as more people move out from Melbourne, pressure was mounting on the need for a location, where the homeless can go to a wash, clean and store their belongings.
