A few home truths

Leslie Adams at Wonthaggi Neighbourhood Centre:
"Where would you turn for help?"

By Leslie Adams

TAKE a moment to think about the things that sustain your income, your lifestyle, your well being.

Now think about most – maybe all - of that disappearing. What would that be like?  Where are you now?  Where would you turn to? Family?  Friends?  Bass Coast Health?  The Salvos? Vinnies?

My answer?  I’m not sure. If I didn’t work at Mitchell House, I probably wouldn't know that there is a food program that would allow me to take away a bag of basic food items and maybe a frozen meal or two.  That there is a community lunch every Wednesday.  I wouldn’t know that they can provide toiletries and feminine hygiene products as well as baby food and sometimes even pet food.

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I’m manager of Wonthaggi Neighbourhood Centre at Mitchell house, a not-for-profit, charitable organisation based on community development principles.  Our stated purpose includes responding to local needs which support and connect individuals and groups in their participation in community life.

Community life?

Those who come to Wonthaggi Neighbourhood Centre represent a diverse range of people, a lot of whom are in no position to “participate in community life”.  They are too busy trying to cope on the most basic of levels.  They may have no home, they may have no work and they definitely have very little food.  What they do have is the struggle to try and meet these needs. 

Add into this mix - a spouse and/or some children, maybe even a pet or two, and we’re looking at a seemingly insurmountable problem.  One that individuals have no hope of solving – this is a systemic crisis. At this point in time, we have no easy answer to our housing crisis.

To my way of thinking, the way to solve homelessness is to provide people with a home … As simple as that sounds, we can’t solve this with the click of our fingers.  So, what can we do?

Wonthaggi Neighbourhood Centre has joined with a range of other Bass Coast community groups and organisations to explore this exact question.  WNC auspices a group called Housing Matters.  This group advocates for secure, affordable and sustainable housing that meets the diverse needs of all in the Bass Coast Shire.  Their work in this space has led us to engage with other groups including the Yes Youth Hub, Myli, Headspace, the Salvos and Rotary.

We meet, we discuss, and we plan how to address these most pressing community needs.  There are no pat answers but there is hope.  We are doing what our community does best – joining together, collectively, to work out how to help.

At this point in time, we can’t provide housing for those who need it.

​772 people in Bass Coast accessed specialist homelessness services in 2022-23 according to the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare.
  A council spokesperson said Bass Coast Shire Council was partnering with local community, industry, State and Federal Government and the community housing sector to reduce the incidence and impact of homelessness and advocate for long term affordable housing solutions.
  “Council is well progressed in implementing the Bass Coast Affordable Housing Strategy, supporting further funding applications for needed housing projects and strengthening local delivery partnerships.
   “Social housing developments through the Big Housing Build on Council land continue to progress, and will provide critical affordable housing uplift in the Shire."

But imagine if we could reliably provide people with somewhere safe and dry and warm to sleep?  Somewhere to have a shower, somewhere to do their laundry?  What a difference this could make to the most disadvantaged of us.

That’s work we are doing at Mitchell House – working collectively within this community to address these needs. Any and all help is appreciated.
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This is an edited version of Leslie’s recent address to Wonthaggi Rotary on Wonthaggi Neighbourhood Centre’s experience of dealing with homeless people in Bass Coast. ​

Community support services
* PICAL (16 Warley Avenue, Cowes) operates an emergency food relief pantry five days a week, providing meat, vegetables, frozen meals, canned food, grocery items and pet food. 
* Corinella and District Community Centre (48 Smythe Street Corinella) operates a food pantry service daily. 
* Wonthaggi Neighbourhood House at Mitchell House (Murray Street) has a box of donated food on the verandah each day. Frozen meals are available and people without cooking facilities can use the microwave and eat their meal in the warmth. There is  a community lunch every Wednesday.
* Tess operates a private food pantry at 25 Turner Street, North Wonthaggi. She also has tents and sleeping bags.
* Inverloch Community House (16 A’Beckett Street) runs a monthly soup cafe from May to September.   The next café is on July 9. 
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