This is the last winter more than 900 people who are homeless or sleep on the streets of the inner-city will have food, warm clothes and a friendly face to talk to because of Malcolm Bloomfield.
For a quarter of a century, Malcolm, Manager of Anglicare's emergency relief program in Surry Hills, has provided food, clothing and financial assistance with the support of Anglican churches to those enduring homelessness and mental illness.
"St Andrew's San Souci, St Philip's Caringbah, St Clements Jannali, St Cuthbert's Carlton and St Stephen's Belrose particularly have been a great source of encouragement for many years," says Malcolm.
As he retires this month, Malcolm says it was this support and the belief in the worth of all people before God that has kept him working for more than 25 years to care for the homeless of Surry Hills.
"We are on a level playing field when it comes to God. We can't bring our riches, our intellect and wealth to Him on the last day. But the fact that Jesus died for me places a value on my life and every other life on this planet," explains Malcolm.
"It was because God so loved the world that He gave His one and only Son to die for our sins. Therefore I believe even the most destitute and marginalised have value in His sight."
Awarded the Medal of the Order of Australia (OAM) for his service to the community this year, Malcolm has been spat at, verbally abused and physically attacked by the very people he was there to help.
However, in his 25 years of service Malcolm says he has never been more discouraged than the times he experienced the hard-heartedness of some residents in the area.
"It was during the mid-1990s when more and more professionals were moving into Surry Hills. Land value was increasing and some just didn't want people like our clients to devalue their investment," explains Malcolm.
"Our callousness to the suffering and misery of others can be quite breathtaking at times. Instead of lending us a hand to help, a residents' action group formed to protest services like ours in the area because they believed we attracted what they called in their pamphlets "human scum'."
For people like Frank, who has been sleeping rough on the streets for the last 11 years, the Anglicare Surry Hills drop in centre has provided much needed comfort and care.
Frank explains that he had come to Australia in the 1950s from Italy. At one time in his life he had a wife, a son, a job and a home but somewhere along the way he lost it all.
Now, according to Malcolm, drop-in centres like Anglicare Surry Hills, is one of the few places where Frank can feel accepted and cared for.
According to Peter Kell, CEO of Anglicare, Malcolm's dedication and Christian care will be missed.
"We are grateful for Malcolm's work among the homeless in Surry Hills," says Mr Kell.
"The work he started among the homeless in the inner city will continue as we look to expand our emergency relief program, not only to the homeless and destitute in Surry Hills, but also to the surrounding suburbs."
