Thousands of Australians become homeless at some point in their lives. For many, homelessness is a relatively short experience and they quickly move on with their lives. Others find themselves entrenched in homelessness for years. Researchers and policy makers often refer to this group as ‘chronically homeless’. People who experience chronic homelessness have high rates of physical and mental health problems, substance abuse issues and histories of traumatic life experiences. They are more likely to sleep rough for long periods of time and most find it difficult to access the services they require. As a group they often have few, if any family or mainstream connections, and while some endure acute isolation, others become deeply mired in the homeless subculture. The economic and social costs of chronic homelessness are significant and reducing the number of people who experience chronic homelessness is now a major policy focus in many Western countries including Australia. Journey to Social Inclusion (J2SI) is a three year initiative that aims to improve the health, wellbeing, and the social and economic participation of people who are chronically homeless. J2SI provides intensive, long term support for each person including therapeutic and skills building services. J2SI is a significant departure from existing approaches. It draws on local and international research that shows that individuals who are chronically homeless can make a permanent transition out of homelessness when they are provided with individually tailored, on-going, intensive support that is linked to appropriate and affordable housing. J2SI is being evaluated using a longitudinal randomised control study . The evaluation involves seven surveys over four years of 84 people who are chronically homeless. Just under half of the participants (n=40) are being supported by J2SI and the remaining 44 (the control group) are receiving assistance from existing services. The table (opposite) provides a profile of the 84 participants drawn from the benchmark (initial) survey. These data starkly illuminate the participants’ histories of adverse childhood experiences, illness and chronic social exclusion, but they tell only part of the story. To understand what it is like to experience chronic homelessness it is important to talk to people and hear their stories.