Elements of a highly successful model used in the United States to re-engage homeless people back in society is set to be introduced into the Shoalhaven.
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The US-based program, run by Homeboy Industries, works with ex-gang members and former jail inmates in a therapeutic way to turn their lives around.
Homeboy Industries started in 1988 as a way of improving the lives of former gang members in East Los Angeles and is now a blueprint for more than 250 organisations and social enterprises around the world, from Alabama and Idaho to Guatemala and Scotland.
The Shoalhaven is set to use parts of the blueprint.
A group of 12 representatives from Bomaderry's based Salt Ministries recently returned from Homeboy's global connections conference.
Salt's Senior Pastor Meg Dover said they want to bring parts of Homeboy's work to the Shoalhaven.
"They have an amazing culture of welcoming people in, facilitating and helping people get back up on their feet," she said.
"It's largely about giving honour to people's stories and where they have come from as well so we don't judge people on how they carry the loads they had to carry."
- Meg Dover
"They have a really wonderful welcoming positive attitude towards life.
"They have a high success rate of people being able to go though their 18-month program and re-enter society - employed.
"Homeboy has a lot of micro-businesses they operate and employ people in and they help people re-enter society to become contributing members of society."
Meg said it was an extremely positive thing for the Salt team to experience.
The Salt team got inside knowledge of how the successful re-entry program worked and learnt how they could apply the programs to the local area.
Salt does deal with people who have been in jail, are homeless, and supports people whose lives have been off track.
"We learnt how we can apply some of the elements of their programs to the people we are working with that are relevant to us here in the Nowra area," she said
Meg said they are planning on putting a program together next year to engage with homeless people who had been in jail and want to turn their lives around.
"We will run education classes and we connect them into what we call a therapeutic community and we will also engage them into volunteering and get them work as well," she said.
Meg said it was all about helping people stay on track. She added peer mentors would be around to help people as they try to reconnect with the community.
Salt offers such help now but Meg said they want to make it an official program that people agree to complete.
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The group will be seeking funding to operate the program.
They also want to link with local educators, work with institutions like TAFE and bring in local businesses.
"We are engaging with a lot of disadvantaged people but we really want to be proactive about providing pathways for people to re-enter society as contributing members of the community," she said.
"We want them to turn their lives around and provide opportunities for people in a practical solution-based environment.
"All 12 of us came back quite inspired by what we saw and heard."
"My heart lies with having a facility or a property where we can have people living on-site in a therapeutic community and then we can work alongside them to help them gain everyday skills."
- Brendan Gammage
Brendan Gammage was a member of the group who went over to the conference and said the biggest thing for him was picking up ideas to use back in the Shoalhaven.
He was impressed with the "therapeutic set up'" Homeboy employs over in the States.
Brendan volunteers his time, when he can, and likes to take on a mentoring role.
"My heart lies with having a facility or a property where we can have people living on-site in a therapeutic community and then we can work alongside them to help them gain everyday skills," he said.
Once a person finishes the program they will not be left alone and the support will continue.
The group not only heard about Homeboy's successes but also got insights on how the other US-based success programs as well.
The touring party consisted of people who work in Safe Shelter Shoalhaven, the group's Saltbox weekly free lunch, the group's food giveaway program and the van that goes around giving food and support each week.
"It's all about working out how we can all come together and play a part in wrapping around people to help them progress," Meg said.
"It's largely about giving honour to people's stories and where they have come from as well so we don't judge people on how they carry the loads they had to carry."
She said Homeboy had a non-judgemental culture and recognised everyone had equal value.
Meg added Homeboy was about inviting people into a healing place.
They hope to get someone out from Homeboy to see the work done in the Shoalhaven by Salt
Meanwhile, Mrs Dover says homelessness in the Shoalhaven was still an issue.
She said just because we are not seeing homeless people around places like the Nowra Showground or the CBD does not mean the problem had gone away.
Mrs Dover said Salt's work in providing shelter, combined with other support networks, had been making a difference.
"Salt's work has obviously provided an opportunity for people who want to get off the streets to get off the streets," she said.
"People who have been able to engage with the shelter and this has certainly targeted a group of people who previously were not finding accommodation.
"However, the number of homeless people continues to grow.
"The numbers are not going down but homeless people are harder to find."
