AS he recently spoke to a homeless person forced to sleep on a park bench Pastor Peter Dover’s determination to help get an emergency shelter opened heightened.
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He along with other people from the local churches are working on having the Wesley Centre open for the homeless by June 1.
“People I know that are living in Harry Sawkins Park are just waiting for it (the Shelter) to open because they have nowhere to go,” Pastor Peter said.
“They used their allocated 28 days of temporary accommodation and once that is full up you don’t get any assistance at all and so they are sleeping on a park bench.
“People have come up to me and said ‘can I go in the shelter now? We said ‘no’ it opens on June 1 and go see the homeless hub to book yourself in.”
The Safe Shelter Shoalhaven plan will see the Wesley Centre open to each night from June 1 to September 29 and will give people somewhere to stay and it will also be available in times of emergencies like major storms.
Reverend Matthew Wilson offered to open the Wesley Centre up and he is happy with the way things are progressing.
“It’s all progressing but there is still a lot of stuff to do,” he said.
They are just working on finishing off the training for the volunteers and get a few minor compliance matters solved.
“They will all fall into place and it’s just a matter of organising them bit by bit,” Rev Wilson said.
“It’s all going to plan, time is going quickly but it’s all coming together and it’s just a matter of getting these last few cards into place but we are on track.”
The Reverend said the only surprise they had was that things are all coming together so well.
“The best thing is the churches and the community are all working together. It (homelessness) is a whole of community problem and a whole of community issue and the whole of the community is needed both in the short and long term to move towards a solution,” Rev Wilson said.
“If we can help facility towards that solution then that is great.”
Rev Wilson said people were interested in what was taking place with the shelter.
“People are asking what is going on and what is happening with the shelter so that is all good,” he said.
Rev Wilson said more volunteers were always welcome.
“There will be times when people are away and so the more people we have to draw from the easier that process is,” he said.
Volunteers are needed to help the centre and become a volunteer people go to www.jotform.com/hudsonwebsolutions/safe-shelter-shoalhaven or can contact their local church and if people are not part of a church people can sign up on Facebook and look for Safe Shelter Shoalhaven.
Pastor Dover would also love to see more volunteers.
“We have got over 70 volunteers so far and it looks like the projection is going to be 120 volunteers,” Pastor Dover said.
A minimum of three volunteers are needed per night seven days a week.