Charlie White and his beloved dog Max sent hearts racing on the streets on Wollongong this week.
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The homeless pair made Crown Street mall their home, where Max attracted attention and gold coins wearing his adorable antlers.
Charlie said he was left without a home after separating from his wife and finding himself unemployed.
He is just one of an estimated 1400 people who were homeless in the Illawarra and surrounds even before the Covid-19 crisis hit.
When asked what he wanted for Christmas, Charlie said he was delighted he's already met a local man who has offered him and Max a cooked lunch at his home.
Mandy Booker, of the Wollongong Homeless Hub, said their outreach team were working hard to spread Christmas cheer to those without a warm place to sleep this year.
"We take Christmas food hampers to our rough sleepers, and have some festive treats in there as well as essentials," she said. "We're also doing dinner and lunch at our Keira Street drop-in space and our crisis accommodation centre."
Both meals are takeaway only, due to COVID-19 restrictions. The Hub is still collecting gifts for their 12 weeks of Christmas hampers for families in transitional accommodation.
"We have 80 children in transitional accommodation, and are trying to make sure they don't miss out," she said.
"Teens and tweens are often most impacted by what's happening at home, but they're also the most likely to miss out at Christmas.
"We usually get a good response for toys for little ones, we're hoping for donations for kids 12 and up."
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