Hungry In A Hostel

Idris lay on the narrow hostel bed in inner city Sydney, stomach growling, counting how many days he could stretch one halal takeaway meal.

He receives a modest Jobseeker payment, most of which goes straight to the rent at the men’s homeless facility where he lives. The hostel provides meals, but almost none are halal and often include pork, leaving him to quietly skip them out of taqwa. With no kitchen, no microwave and no way to store food, supermarket vouchers were not enough, he had to buy ready meals from the few halal outlets nearby, which meant he was living on one meal a day.​

Idris carries more than financial hardship. He has severe ADHD, depression and anxiety, with a history of job losses because he simply could not maintain focus or manage his symptoms long enough to stay employed. He keeps applying for work, but the combination of homelessness, mental health and mounting debts makes every step feel heavier.​

When he applied to the National Zakat Foundation, he described his situation as hungry, alone, with no family or friends in Australia and no idea how to keep going. Caseworkers spoke with him, reviewed medical certificates from his psychiatrist and assessed his expenses, confirming that he had a monthly deficit and genuine barriers to work.​

NZF responded in stages, first with food vouchers and later with additional support to help him access halal meals while living in the hostel. When he asked about his car registration, hoping it would help him get to work in the western suburbs, caseworkers focused on the most urgent need, getting him fed and stable before anything else.​

Your Zakat. Their Right.

Idris’s story reminds us that those in need here look just like the brother you might pass in the city, headphones in, walking quickly so no one hears his stomach. Zakat in Australia became his safety blanket, turning community concern into real meals and real dignity in the very streets we all walk together.​