“We’re all only a couple of poor decisions away from it ourselves”: How Ballarat’s Soup Bus became a lifeline for people sleeping rough

Lucas was 16 when he moved with his mum to Horsham after she began a relationship with a man.

“A lot changed then,” he told the West Vic Brolga. “My mum was great back in the day, but then she met this new guy. He got her into gear.” 

Lucas - not his real name - says his mother developed a habit, while her boyfriend was often abusive. 

Lucas split Horsham and now lives in Ballarat.

• “I didn’t have anywhere to go but, well, anything seemed better than there at the time.” 

He has been couch surfing for two years. When he can’t find a place to stay, he spends the evenings on the street.

🗣️: “Sometimes friends have a place for me, sometimes they don’t.”

The Soup Bus, in Ballarat, has become an important resource for Lucas.

• “When it’s cold and everything kind of sucks, it’s good to have a hot dinner. And it gets pretty fucking cold around here. A warm meal means the difference between a rough night, and a bloody rough night.” 

The Soup Bus is an evening meal service run out of two refurbished buses named Gertie and Jono. Local cafes, bakeries and restaurants donate all the food used and the bus is able to provide meals five nights a week. It’s been operating since 2009. 

Where did the Soup Bus come from? 

🗣️: “In 2002, I came back from an appointment and there was a gentleman sitting in my doorway [to his Sturt Street workplace],” Craig Schepis, founder of Soup Bus and its parent organisation OnTrack Foundation, told the Brolga. “He was an elderly gentleman with a few shopping bags.” 

Schepis said three days went by where he would wordlessly pass the gentleman on the steps and continue into the building. Until a thought occurred. 

• “On the third day, I just felt really unsettled and I couldn’t quite work out what was wrong. And then it dawned on me that I had not even acknowledged this person. And I thought I really need to go and introduce myself.” 

He later found the man on a park bench. What followed was a close friendship with the man, Paul, that spanned years. They began having lunch together regularly. 

He learned his story; he was a former business owner that went bankrupt and his family had fallen apart as a result. 

Some of his friends told him they thought they saw him hanging around with a group of homeless people. 

🗣️: “And I’d say, yeah that’s me. They’re really good people. These are our people, normal people, Ballarat people. And they’re no different to you and I.” 

“We’re all only a couple of poor decisions away from it ourselves.” 

Schepis spent a night with Paul on the street, and even worked with local media to film a documentary highlighting the struggles of those sleeping rough. He began spending time in Melbourne volunteering with a variety of organisations, and asked himself one simple question: “why don’t we have this in Ballarat?” 

Taking action: Schepis began organising fundraising events and used his expertise as a teacher to begin running three classes a week for kids that were struggling to stay in the system. Often, they told him there was no dinner waiting for them at home. 

Gradually, an idea formed to repurpose a disused bus with a commercial kitchen. Schepis even encountered a cabinetmaker willing to work for free, as his own sister had experienced homelessness in her teens. 

A reminder of humanity: The Soup Bus served 5,000 Ballarat residents in its first year, with the number now sitting closer to 22,000 meals served annually.

If you’re a Ballarat local keen to don an apron and help out, volunteer applications are available here. 

For emergency homeless support in Victoria, call 1800 825 955 for access to crisis accommodation. Local services in Ballarat include Uniting Care and Safe Steps.