Living on the streets took a toll on Richo’s body.

He developed abscesses under his skin from injecting drugs and spent many nights shivering in a swag with little sleep.

Eighteen months ago, while washing car windows at a Richmond intersection, Richo* tripped over a bollard and fractured his collarbone.

“I landed pretty heavily,” the 45-year-old said. “I put up with it for a night and then when I woke up in the morning I thought, ‘I need to go to the hospital’.”

It was Richo’s second visit to the emergency department at St Vincent’s Hospital in four months, after a previous visit to treat abscesses. This time, the team put his arm in a sling, organised ongoing physiotherapy sessions and, most importantly, found him a safe place to sleep. He credits them with turning his life around.

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