In January 2002, Cathy arrived in St Kilda, ready to start her new role at Sacred Heart Mission. Thinking she had the experience to work in an inner city suburb, instead what Cathy found was a complex community, with the current services unable to meet people’s needs. Cathy describes this as the revolving door of homelessness, and it comes at a cost, with significant monies being spent on managing a system that is not ending homelessness. Through the experience of working with people like Mary, Cathy and the team at Sacred Heart have grown a body of evidence that shows the link between exposure to trauma and long-term homelessness, and have piloted a program called Journey to Social Inclusion. This program not only addresses long-term homelessness, but also supports people's recovery from the impact of trauma and to re-connect them back into community life. Cathy Humphrey has been working in the areas of community housing and homelessness since 1993. Initially working with people with intellectual disabilities, and since 1996 working in roles specifically focused on people experiencing homelessness. Cathy’s has worked within organisations such as Bethany Family Support (Geelong), Wesley Central Mission (Ringwood), Department of Human Services and has been working at Sacred Heart Mission In St Kilda since 2002. Appointed as CEO of Sacred Heart Mission in 2011, Cathy has accumulated over 14 years of service to an organization that is leading the way in transforming people lives. Cathy’s passion is driven by an interest in people, human rights and a desire to make a difference. That passion continues to burn brightly through leading the development of innovative solutions to ending chronic homelessness, the Journey to Social Inclusion. This talk was given at a TEDx event using the TED conference format but independently organized by a local community. Learn more at ted.com/tedx

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