Page 3246 - Week 08 - Wednesday, 22 August 2012
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has recently commenced a trial afternoon drop-in service where people can rest in a quiet location. Volunteers have been trained on how to manage the clients, and protocols have been put in place with the St Vinnies night patrol, which is located next door.
The proposal put forward by safe shelter is already happening elsewhere in Australia with the support of local governments. The Canon community in Sydney support two church hall shelters. One is at the Waterloo Uniting Church on Wednesday nights and another is run Saturday nights at Christ Church St Laurence near Central Station.
The Christ Church shelter has been running for 10 years. It has four volunteer teams each rostered once every four weeks. There are normally two volunteers who set up and cook dinner, and then three male volunteers who sleep over with the guests and provide a simple breakfast and clean up in the morning. The shelter only takes male clients. The church hall does not have shower facilities, just toilets. It is limited to 10 guests at a time and a small number of volunteers, which is what the insurance provider has agreed to.
The state government has not been involved at all in the proposal. The shelter has the full support of the Sydney City Council, which has provided the church funds to buy quality mattresses covered with hospital grade coverings. The shelter only accepts referrals from the homelessness hotline run by the Sydney City Council. The hotline knows what the abilities and limitations of the shelter are and refers clients on with that understanding, including an understanding of the personal challenges of each of the clients. There have not been any significant incidents with the shelter.
There are also churches in the UK which open their halls during winter. Seven churches in the Bradford diocese ran a trial program in 2010. That was successful and has now expanded to nine churches. That shows that there are examples of this working. It shows that, if you put appropriate risk management protocols in place, it is workable, and that is what has been proposed by safe shelter. As I noted, they have worked with the Early Morning Centre, which deals with these sorts of issues, to put in place risk management strategies and protocols and to provide training to staff. So it is something that can work.
What we are asking of the government is to be constructive and work with the churches for a common solution and to have this project proceed. There is an important role for the non-government, community and private sectors to play in providing services such as homelessness services, and, where they come forward and offer to do so, they should be encouraged. There should not be unreasonable barriers put in their way. The churches behind the safe shelter proposal are not asking for financial assistance and have done the right thing by going to government before proceeding with their proposal.
These sorts of proposals and services are successful elsewhere, as I have already noted, and it can be achieved in the ACT. By having a safe shelter, it is not an admission of defeat in addressing homelessness; it is an acknowledgement that we need a service that is appropriate for some people.
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