Turnout was lower than expected for the Triple H homeless expo, but participants say there were still some positives to take from the event.
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The expo brought together a range of services aimed at helping people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness at the Victory Memorial Gardens on yesterday.
Many of the support services assembled said despite the low turnout, it provided a good opportunity to network and find out what other services exist in the area.
Aleta Tooth was one person who took advantage of the services the expo offered as she looks to get her life on track after three years sleeping rough.
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Ms Tooth, 39, fell on hard times after a breakdown, caused by workplace bullying. That led to her losing her home and sleeping in her car between Wagga and Grifftih. "It was a downhill spiral," she said.
Being homeless was scary and "very confronting at times", she said, and she remembers often sending her dog into toilet blocks ahead of her to make sure they were empty at night.
She was on the social housing waitlist during that period, but for the past 12 months has had her own unit in Mount Austin. Having a home has been important in her recovery.
"I've got neurofibromatosis which is a neurological condition which causes a few mental health issues and also it causes a lot of tumours on nerve endings," she said.
"Having a house and stability, I was able to work, attend appointments and keep those appointments which was very important medical-wise.
"That three years I had to put everything on hold and it's taken 12 months to get that all rolling again."
Ms Aleta comes to the expo every year to get supplies, but also "have a yarn" with the service providers.
Kathy Lockeridge was homeless for three months this year after a mental breakdown, and she said she was glad to learn about the expo.
"I wasn't going to come, anxiety was like 'no don't go down there'," she said. "But I'm 100 per cent happy I showed up here. I got some blankets, got some food, anyone who experiences homeless should come here ... it can happen to anybody, I never thought I'd be homeless."
DCJ's deputy secretary of housing, disability and district services James Toomey was there to discuss the homeless community that has formed at Wilks Park with Wagga MP Joe McGirr and council staff.
"There's a clear challenge with the people living out at Wilks Park and it's an opportunity to talk about if we really have covered all the possibilities that we have between us ... maybe there's some outside the box thinking about the problem," Mr Toomey said.
Wagga St Vincent de Paul president Peter Burgess said the reasons for the low turnout would need to be reviewed. "Last year was swarming with people and it was freezing," he said. "It's disappointing."
Mr Burgess questioned if the organisers were "as a collective group ... using the wrong approach" or not communicating with the homeless.
"We have to go back and have a look at it," he said.
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