TROY Sheedy still finds himself looking at holes in the wall as a refuge, somewhere he could crash if he became homeless again.
At times he went days without a shower, weeks without a smile and months without a hug, until Newcastle's Soul Cafe helped him turn things around.
"It's so easy to fall into, not everyone is 'mental' or has drug issues," he said.
"A lot of the people I met had full-time work but had got themselves into debts that were crushing them.
"I wish people knew how close a lot of people are, people think something major or catastrophic has to happen in your life but it seems there's more and more people on the poverty line.
"It only takes one tiny little thing happening that can set off the chain reaction."
Soul Cafe is more than a meal, it's a community - a place where people can come for help with anything from accommodation to haircuts, laundry, legal and medical services.
And, as the annual Sleepout for Soul fundraiser approaches, Mr Sheedy encourages the public to spend a night sleeping rough - not just to raise money, but to raise empathy.
"I used to be very happy to spend time on my own," he said.
"But when you go from doing work, having a social life and spending time on your own - to you are alone, it's different when you don't have a choice.
"I think it's good for people to experience a night of roughness, even it it's a choice, just to get an understanding of what people go through."
Matthew Ortiger is Soul's general manager, his hope is to raise more than $175,000 with close to 400 sleepers at the fundraiser.
"We provide services to homeless, addicted, mentally unwell and other vulnerable people," he said.
"We do 50,000 meals a year for those people, but our tagline is 'more than a meal', we provide those meals but in an environment of community, belonging and relationship.
"For people who let's be honest, other people cross the street to avoid, to have a place where they can come and be warmly welcomed regardless of how their life is going is really important."
In March, more than 420 people walked through Soul Cafe's doors, some come daily and others might only come once.
There are a lot of misconceptions and oversimplification about how people become homeless, Mr Ortiger said, which is why wrap-around services are so critical.
"If someone has really poor mental health and that was a big part of why they became homeless - to just give them a house doesn't address that," he said.
"The house makes a massive difference and it's part of the solution but if we don't address the mental health, the trauma or addiction that led to the homelessness we aren't going to get long-term change in someone's life."
Sleepout for Soul is on May 27 at the Bolton Street carpark or virtually from home.
For information visit soulcafe.org.au.
