Homeless people in the Nowra area will get relief from the bitter winter cold with a plan now in place to shelter them.
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The Safe Shelter Shoalhaven plan will see the Wesley Centre open each night during winter to give people somewhere to stay and it will also be available in times of emergencies like major storms.
The plan is supported by 12 churches from around the area and it has to full backing of Shoalhaven City Council.
They will use the Wesley Centre and the doors will be open from 5pm to 8am every day from June 1 to September 29 to house homeless people.
Bomaderry’s Salt Ministries was asked to coordinate the plan and Pastor Pete Dover could not be happier.
“This gives people an opportunity in the time of winter when they are desperate. We have got people hiding in caves and tents and now there is somewhere for them to stay overnight,” he said.
“I think it's great that all the churches have come together and there is just no egos involved.”
He said each church representative he rang about the plan was excited and wanted to supply volunteers.
“With the combined churches coming together we are going to supply the volunteers who will man the centre every night when there is people staying there,” he said.
“So it will be open every night but at first we might not have people staying there as it may take a while for people to realise it’s here.
“It’s quite an amazing thing to get all the churches together to home the homeless during winter.
“It’s a wonderful step in the right direction.”
Reverend Matthew Wilson from the Nowra Uniting Church agreed to open up the Wesley Centre.
“It seems to me that we have the obvious facility in town and we are centrally located in town and have the room available,” he said.
Rev Wilson summed the plan up by calling the Wesley Centre ‘a place of hope’.
“The solution we had have not been good enough in the past and in fact have not been solutions at all,” Rev Wilson said.
“This (the Wesley Centre) is not a permanent solution or good enough but it's a step in the right direction and hopefully this will give council the time for a longer term proposal that is already in the pipeline and we can give time for that better proposal to be developed.
“This plan is a worthwhile stepping stone and it will also mean we can reach out and train each other and learn how to do some things together that will be then be of help for the longer term solution.”
Both Rev Wilson and Pastor Dover say the plan is the best things local churches have been involved with for years.
A booking system will be used and run by the Shoalhaven Homeless Hub and the Salt Ministry homeless van.
They will be able to house eight people each night.
“However, if there is inclement weather or some sort of emergency we can house up to 50 people,” Pastor Dover said.
There will be beds, toilets and kitchen facilities and there will be an upstairs area for women and a downstairs area for men.
"We have got people hiding in caves and tents and now there is somewhere for them to stay overnight."
- Pastor Peter Dover
There will also be televisions in both areas but there will not be any shower facilities.
At 8am, when people wake up, they will be taken to the homeless hub where they can have a shower and do their laundry.
“I think it’s quite an amazing thing and I think it would be great for the community to get on-board and we are taking volunteers from the community - even the Mayor of Shoalhaven City Amanda Findley and former mayor Joanna Gash have said they want to be volunteers,” Pastor Dover said.
To become a volunteer people can contact their local church and if people are not part of a church they can contact Salt Ministries on 4421 4433 or the homeless hub on 4423 2804.
Mental health first aid and medical first aid training is involved plus on site training.
Council is also supporting the move financially.
“It’s great to see council putting their money where its mouth is,” Pastor Dover said.
The Pastor said Cr Findley brought up the fact that similar safe shelters operated in other centres and she asked if the Shoalhaven could have one.
Council have also earmarked two blocks of land on Albatross Road for a longer term solution - one block for camping and the other there will be facilities built.
