We commemorate the life of our friend and long standing StreetCare member Amir Bodenstein, who sadly died in late June.
Amir was a member of StreetCare for over a decade. A fierce advocate for people experiencing homelessness, Amir played a key role in many of StreetCare’s successes.
Among his achievements was co-designing a plain English version of the Protocol for homeless people in public, so people sleeping rough could better understand their rights. This guide continues to be used by NSW Government agencies to ensure rough sleepers are treated with dignity.
‘He had real lived-experience and insights into what it was like to sleep rough in Sydney and what it is like to be impacted by events where rough sleepers are not included in the audience,’ said Charmaine Jones, Project Officer for StreetCare.
With StreetCare members, Amir advised Government agencies on respectfully communicating with rough sleepers during events like WorldPride and the redevelopment of Macquarie St East.
And he was a dedicated friend, as fellow StreetCare member Anna described.
‘We both liked walking at night, and he would make sure I could walk safely. Because I wouldn’t walk alone as a woman, he would come down to my place and support me in my walks.’
‘We’d both had very similar experiences – we’d met some angels on the streets, but also found it incredibly hard.’
Amir was born in Israel in 1961 and came to Australia in the late 1990s. He endured significant visa and residency difficulties, and passionately supported services to improve conditions for non-residents experiencing homelessness.
‘I had a friend who was in Villawood [Detention Centre] – I rang Amir to ask him how to support her to get out. She was allowed to stay with me for two weeks, but in the interim, Amir took time to advise her on things that had helped him,’ Anna said.
Amir’s enthusiasm for StreetCare’s work has left a strong impression on those who worked with him, as Louis Schetzer, former StreetCare Project Officer explained: ‘my lasting memory with Amir was him taking me on a couple of City of Sydney Night Street Counts – he knew how important it was to find out the numbers of people who were sleeping rough – something that he often had to do himself.’
Outside of his advocacy work, he was also a talented writer and filmmaker, and an inquisitive researcher of his family history.
‘Amir had a close connection with his Jewish heritage – something that we shared together,’ Louis reflected.
‘In Jewish tradition a “mensch” is a person who exhibits kindness, empathy and integrity – someone who practices acts of kindness on an everyday basis to make the world around them a more accepting and welcoming place.’
‘Amir was a definitely a mensch.’
We extend our condolences to Amir’s friends and family.
Remembering StreetCare member Amir
We commemorate the life of our friend and long standing StreetCare member Amir Bodenstein, who sadly died in late June.
Amir was a member of StreetCare for over a decade. A fierce advocate for people experiencing homelessness, Amir played a key role in many of StreetCare’s successes.
Among his achievements was co-designing a plain English version of the Protocol for homeless people in public, so people sleeping rough could better understand their rights. This guide continues to be used by NSW Government agencies to ensure rough sleepers are treated with dignity.
‘He had real lived-experience and insights into what it was like to sleep rough in Sydney and what it is like to be impacted by events where rough sleepers are not included in the audience,’ said Charmaine Jones, Project Officer for StreetCare.
With StreetCare members, Amir advised Government agencies on respectfully communicating with rough sleepers during events like WorldPride and the redevelopment of Macquarie St East.
And he was a dedicated friend, as fellow StreetCare member Anna described.
‘We both liked walking at night, and he would make sure I could walk safely. Because I wouldn’t walk alone as a woman, he would come down to my place and support me in my walks.’
‘We’d both had very similar experiences – we’d met some angels on the streets, but also found it incredibly hard.’
Amir was born in Israel in 1961 and came to Australia in the late 1990s. He endured significant visa and residency difficulties, and passionately supported services to improve conditions for non-residents experiencing homelessness.
‘I had a friend who was in Villawood [Detention Centre] – I rang Amir to ask him how to support her to get out. She was allowed to stay with me for two weeks, but in the interim, Amir took time to advise her on things that had helped him,’ Anna said.
Amir’s enthusiasm for StreetCare’s work has left a strong impression on those who worked with him, as Louis Schetzer, former StreetCare Project Officer explained: ‘my lasting memory with Amir was him taking me on a couple of City of Sydney Night Street Counts – he knew how important it was to find out the numbers of people who were sleeping rough – something that he often had to do himself.’
Outside of his advocacy work, he was also a talented writer and filmmaker, and an inquisitive researcher of his family history.
‘Amir had a close connection with his Jewish heritage – something that we shared together,’ Louis reflected.
‘In Jewish tradition a “mensch” is a person who exhibits kindness, empathy and integrity – someone who practices acts of kindness on an everyday basis to make the world around them a more accepting and welcoming place.’
‘Amir was a definitely a mensch.’
We extend our condolences to Amir’s friends and family.
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