A sense of belonging gives Dwayne hope
Dwayne (right) with Sydney Streetlevel Mission leader Robyn Evans. (Photo supplied by Sydney Streetlevel Mission)
Like so many who struggle with addiction, Dwayne says every day is a battle to overcome his addiction to gambling. But he now has a sense of hope and belonging – and a stable roof over his head thanks to The Salvation Army’s Streetlevel community.
“When I came to Sydney five years ago, I was lost. I had no idea what direction I was going. I didn’t know anyone,” Dwayne says.
After losing his wallet with all his identification and facing his first night in Sydney on the streets, Dwayne says Nathan Moulds, who was employed at Streetlevel at the time, worked into the night to find him a place to sleep.
Nathan also helped Dwayne organise new identification documents, and Dwayne has maintained contact with the Streetlevel community ever since.
“They didn’t just brush me off and brush me aside,” says Dwayne.
“They welcomed me into their community and welcomed me into their church and made me feel like I belonged, which is something I hadn’t felt for quite a while.”
Having grown up around horseracing tracks all his life, with a family member working for many years in the industry, betting had always been part of Dwayne’s life. As child, adults regularly placed small bets for him, and he says he had “quite a lot of success”.
At the age of 18, Dwayne realised he could place bets himself legally.
“I always thought, ‘if I ever need money, I can just gamble and win it’, but obviously that didn’t work,” he laughs.
A series of moves throughout Australia, with periods of employment and stability and periods of out-of-control gambling and homelessness followed.
“I also suffer from really bad depression and that doesn’t help the addiction,” he says. “They kind of feed each other.”
Dwayne says when he first moved to Sydney, he convinced himself that his gambling was under control. But at one stage when his money ran low, he tried yet again to save himself through gambling.
Soon Dwayne was gambling his pay packet away almost as soon as he was paid and he eventually entered the Salvation Army’s Foster House for a while.
“Before I came to Sydney I had become a Christian, but I wasn’t even listening to things about God,” Dwayne says. “But when Nathan started helping me, that’s when I began listening.
“At times, I go to church at Streetlevel…and the workers and the whole community have become like my family. I’ve been through a lot of hard times in Sydney and they’ve stuck by me.”
To give back to others, Dwayne has volunteered regularly with the service.
“Streetlevel and Foster House have really helped support me. Streetlevel helped me with furnishing and food – they pretty much kept me alive in a lot of circumstances.
“No matter what is going on in my life, and even when I fall, they’re the people who have held me, supported me, lifted me, and still given me a push from behind when I needed it.
“Streetlevel helped me get my life back.”
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