deano

deano was an interesting character. he was always bright, happy and full of song (unfortunately it was generally the sydney swans theme song).
deano has been a valued & loved member of the 614 family for the 5 years we've been there, he's been part of the street community for more than 15 years although he was only 37 when he died on the cold streets of melbourne on friday night.
deano desperately wanted to change. he tried detox numerous times. he had beds in crisis facilities, he had a great relationship with his wonderful sister who would look after him when he went there but at the end of the day his friends were on the street, life on the streets was what he knew, it's where he was accepted and that's where he wanted to be.
with his friends. accepted.
who doesn't?
it was not irregular for deano to come into 614 bruised and battered. street fight?
no.
drunken middle class teenagers out in the city looking for a good time by beating up homeless people.
everyone i've spoken to about deano in the last few days has said the same thing- dean had a heart of gold. he would always give up his last dollar to someone more needy than him (although you & i would struggle to imagine anyone that needy), he always had a drink to share and could always put a smile on your face.

why did he die?
its a question that has been asked a bit in the last few days.

well he died because its cold on the streets. he died because when you have that much pain going on in your life, the amount of alcohol it takes to block out that pain will eventually kill you.
he died because there is a monumental fault in our sense of community in this country and a drastic shortage of homes, rehab beds and people willing to care for people (note 'people', not 'workers', not 'specialists' - people willing to care for people).
while an official autopsy will happen in the coming days, it's pretty clear that deano died because he was tired.

life on the streets in hard. harder than you or i could probably imagine or deal with.
the nights are cold - freezing cold - and there is no guarantee your blankets will be where you left them (or not covered in someone else's urine - apparently that's a fun thing to do for suburban teens as well). for the most part the food you eat is cheap, irregular & un healthy.
people stare at you. people laugh at you. people judge you.
your feet hurt from walking around all day. your socks stick to your feet because you have to wear your shoes 24/7 out of fear someone will steal them while you're asleep. your clothes smell and your shower times are dictated by the opening hours of drop in centres.
doctors are impossible to find if you're don't have a lot of money(especially in the City) , your health deteriorates.

friends come and go, workers leave, sympathetic police move on, business' close & open, times change.

some would say deano was misunderstood. some would say he just didn't fit in our society. both of those things might be true although dean would never consider himself misunderstood & he certainly made himself fit in any situation he found himself in.
it's been pretty clear for the last few weeks though- since the tragic death of his brother- that deano had done his time here and it was time to go home.

on friday night he did.
dean williams 10/02/71 - 11/07/08