Survival Through Community: What Mutual Aid Teaches About Stability and Belonging
Why This Matters
But while institutions take time to act, communities move. Mutual aid shows us a different way of caring, one rooted in shared dignity, immediate action, and the belief that everyone deserves to have what they need. Mutual aid is not charity. It does not ask people to prove they are worthy of support. It simply recognizes that we are all connected, and that our survival is tied to one another.
The Gaps in System Support
People who are houseless often face barriers that feel impossible to navigate while also trying to survive day to day. There are long waitlists for services, and most programs require ID or documents that can be difficult to keep safe when someone does not have secure housing. Many service providers close early in the day or are only available during limited hours, which means people often go without support simply because the timing does not match their reality. Social security and other benefits take a long time to access, even when the need is urgent. On top of this, people are often judged, questioned, or turned away, which adds another layer of harm to already vulnerable circumstances. Even when someone is mistreated by a landlord or pushed out illegally, there is no immediate accountability. The legal process is slow and exhausting, and people are often left to navigate the fallout on their own. The gap between urgent need and slow, conditional support leaves people in crisis without relief.
Mutual Aid as Survival and Belonging
When international students in Sydney were excluded from government relief during the pandemic, they turned toward one another instead of waiting for help that was not coming. In the article “Navigating the Dilemmas of Mutual Aid: International Student Organising in Sydney during the COVID‐19 Pandemic” we see how a small initiative made a big impact during desperate times. The students organized food sharing networks, pooled small amounts of money to cover rent or groceries, and created communication channels where people could ask for what they needed without shame. A key gathering place was the Addison Road Community Centre, which opened its doors as a welcoming food distribution hub. People could come in, take what they needed, and leave knowing they were not alone.
What made these efforts powerful was not the size of the resources, but the way they were shared. The work was guided by values of solidarity, dignity, and mutual respect. No one had to prove they deserved support. No one was asked to fill out forms or explain their situation. The community recognized that if one person was struggling, everyone felt the impact. The support was relational, not transactional. It created belonging at a time when many felt abandoned or invisible.
Micro-Income With Community Anchoring
A small, consistent amount of income can make a meaningful difference in someone’s daily life. It can cover bus fare, a phone bill, laundry, pet food, hygiene supplies, small groceries. These are items that support dignity and survival, and they are often the first things that become unstable when someone is unhoused. With sustained payments from a community hub someone could replace a tent or sleeping bag, or get a rolling cart or waterproof bags to protect their belongings. These are all items that are frequently damaged during the numerous sweeps the houseless community endures as their way of life is deemed a neighborhood nuisance.
What matters most is not the size of the income, but the reliability of it. Predictability allows someone to build routine, and routine makes it possible to stay connected to community spaces. When a person can return to the same place and be recognized, supported, and welcomed, trust begins to form. This is what community anchoring means. It is having somewhere to go where you are known. It is care that feels steady and human, not conditional or judgmental. It is the difference between being alone in crisis and being held in community.
Lessons From the Mutual Aid Example
The mutual aid efforts in Sydney show that people do not need to be fixed to deserve care. They need resources, connection, and a sense of belonging. Support works best when relationships come first, not paperwork or qualifications. When people are trusted to name what they need, they are able to show up more fully and honestly. The students in Sydney demonstrated that communities already know how to care for one another. The challenge is not the willingness to help. The challenge is creating stability so that care can be consistent and sustainable. When formal systems tried to step in and institutionalize the mutual aid networks, some of the relational trust and autonomy became strained. This reminds us to protect the human, community-led core of any support model. Stability should strengthen relationships, not replace them.
Why This Matters for Houseless Support
When daily survival takes all of someone’s energy, it becomes nearly impossible to focus on long-term goals like saving money for housing, acquiring clean clothes for a job interview, or waiting in line at the DMV to get a new ID. Even small, consistent support can change this. Stability makes room for planning, rest, and hope. It allows someone to think beyond immediate survival and take steps toward self-determination. Community hubs amplify this effect. They provide belonging, familiarity, and a safe space to exhale. And imagine if this place was also a one stop shop for essential items. A person could spend their money somewhere that they feel valued and cared for. Being known and recognized in a community space reduces isolation and stress, helping people stay grounded while navigating the challenges of daily life.
Vision and Hope
A future centered on community care and stable micro-income is one where people do not have to live in constant crisis. Support becomes relational, steady, and human. It is not about proving that you’re worthy to a bureaucratic system. Instead, it is about being recognized, having consistent resources, and being part of a network that encourages you. When care feels this way, survival becomes stability, and stability opens the door to possibility. People are able to plan, to rest, and to pursue their goals. At the heart of this approach is a simple but powerful truth: we are all capable of caring for one another, and when we do, everyone thrives.
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Reference: Iveson, Kurt, and Mark Riboldi. “Navigating the Dilemmas of Mutual Aid: International Student Organising in Sydney during the COVID‐19 Pandemic.” Geographical Research, vol. 62, no. 2, May 2024, pp. 233–47. EBSCOhost, https://doi-org.proxy.lib.pdx.edu/10.1111/1745-5871.12647.
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