“I’ve been working with ImpactHK for 11 months. I’m responsible for buying supplies and groceries for the organisation every day, which we then sort and package for distribution to the homeless. We often prepare bananas, boiled eggs, Yakult...and sometimes I help to cook too. I used to be homeless myself. I spent ten years on and off sleeping in the Happy Valley pedestrian tunnel. When I was little, I grew up in Wanchai. I didn’t like to go to school and started to hang out with some bad friends. We would play, steal, get into fights. I then spent about ten years in and out of jail. Back then I used to do odd jobs and shifts work here and there - I worked as a cleaner, a dishwasher, worked in restaurants...I just took it a day at a time. There are times when I would only eat one meal every four days. With or without money, you still have to keep living!”
「我喺 ImpactHK 度做咗11個月。我負責幫手買日用品同食物,然後將啲嘢食分類同分派俾啲露宿者。我哋通常會準備啲香蕉,雞蛋同益力多。有時候我會幫吓手煮嘢食。我自己以前都試過做露宿者, 有近十年瞓喺跑馬地行人隧道底。我細個嗰陣喺灣仔大。嗰時唔鍾意讀書,又群咗啲壞人。成日只係識玩同飲飲食食,同人打交。我跟住坐監出出入入都有十年。嗰時我會打啲散工 - 做過清潔,洗碗、打過洒樓工...一日一日噉過。有時我會四日先有一餐飯食。有錢冇錢,都係要過㗎啦!」
「我習慣咗每朝 5點就起身。坐監嗰時,我哋日日 6:30 喺監房度放出嚟,然後做嘢做到下午4點。5點食晚飯跟住7點就要返監房。就係咁 - 出 咗 監,搵唔到嘢做,又要露宿,同人打交,跟住又入返去坐監。我覺得呢個慈善機構最好嘅地方係佢哋真係好關心啲露宿者同埋會幫佢哋打破呢個惡性循環。我哋 Impact 幫好多唔同年紀嘅人。我自己嘅經歷令我知道露宿者需要嘅唔係小小錢同一餐飯 - 係要感覺到有人際聯繫同一份希望。
“Back in my homeless days, I spent a lot of time in public parks. They’ve now put the dividers on the park benches so people can’t lie flat. I would also hang out in the library and go to the public sports stadiums to shower. It was a very lonely time, especially in the winter and during the holiday seasons. I have my own home now; a rented room in Sham Shui Po. I’ve lost touch with my old “friends” - some of them have passed away, some of them are still on heroin. My own family is not around anymore - the people here at Impact are my family. I am 61 years old and my life is a lot more meaningful now than it used to be. I’ve changed a lot. I love and have a great connection with dogs and kids, and they seem to like me too. I got on an airplane for the first time to travel abroad recently. Was I nervous? Not at all, it’s just like going on a ferris wheel!"