A workplace accident seven years ago was all it took for Ben Harrison to lose everything he loved. Alcoholic, drug-addicted and living on the street, he gave up on life.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
He is now 597 days clean and lives in a housing commission unit in the western Brisbane suburb of Indooroopilly. Mr Harrison credited the Salvation Army's Streetlevel Mission with saving his life.
The former marine mechanic was happily employed until a 3.5-tonne piece of steel fell from a crane and landed on him.
He was "lucky to be alive" after suffering spinal injuries and nearly losing his leg but unable to return to work.
Mr Harrison lost everything he loved: his house, his wife and his dogs.
His addiction started with prescription medication before he moved onto drugs and alcohol.
He spent three months in a men's hostel before he began sleeping rough.
"I gave up on life, I was sleeping in squat houses with eight other people where there was always a bit of violence and I couldn’t take it any more," Mr Harrison said.
"I started to go to Streetlevel (Mission) when I was homeless for a shower and some food. Ever since then, they have become the family that I love.
Streetlevel gave him a pathway to rebuild his life, as well as much-needed support during rehab.
"After losing everything and having absolutely nothing, to come out of it with a great feeling of life is thanks to Streetlevel," he said.
"I've got a family of people there who loved me, made me feel worthwhile and who were not quite ready for me to give up.
"If it wasn’t for them, I wouldn’t be here."
After everything Streetlevel Mission did for him, Mr Harrison jumped at the opportunity to participate in a bike ride to raise money for the homeless shelter.
The group of riders set off from Kings Cross in Sydney on September 8, and rode the 1073 kilometres back to Brisbane. After nine days they arrived back on Sunday afternoon.
Every rider's jersey was adorned with the slogan "everyone needs a place to call home".
"The money will be used to buy swags for people sleeping rough, encourage the homeless to get their own place and purchase supported affordable rental accommodation," Brisbane Streetlevel Mission team leader Paul Maunder said.
"Being homeless must be so painful - to not have a place to call home.
"Our message to every homeless person is that you’re worth more than a million stars and we focus on the value of every single person."
The ride was on track to raise $120,000 through individual and group EverydayHero fund-raising pages.
