NewHope Community Care in conjunction with Whitehorse Churches Care have made the difficult decision not to proceed with the shelter this year.
This is not a decision we have made lightly – we’ve had a number of conversations with the local housing agencies and council over the last couple of months as we thought about what to do. We realise that it will be disappointing, especially after all the work of the last two years. We are very happy to chat further with you about this if you have any questions.
While disappointing, there continues to be much to celebrate. The shelter has served as a catalyst for significant unity and collaboration in our area and it has helped instigate relationships with council and other service providers. This has led to the amazing opportunities we see in front of us today – including the opening of a community hub at Forest Hill Chase in the next month or so (more details below).
Another focus area for Whitehorse Churches Care is addressing social isolation. To that end, WCC have been given an opportunity by Forest Hill Chase to open a Community Hub in one of their vacant tenancies. We are also partnering with Vic Police to connect with 300+ people per month through their community support register (phone calls to seniors) and then the plan is to have a drop in space, and to run a range of different programs for connection.
The Forest Hill Chase project in particular will have plenty of opportunities if you’d like to be involved
Here’s a few initial opportunities:
- Drop in Centre volunteer – multiple shifts (eg. 9am-1pm, 1pm-5pm – hours variable and still to be decided)
- “Mall walk facilitator” – facilitate walks through the centre – an opportunity for exercise and connection (flexible time)
- Community Support Register – phone volunteers (this will occur on site, Monday-Friday, 10am-12pm – commitment is weekly/fortnightly)
- Community Support Register coordinator – volunteer coordination and administration support (3 hrs/day – 9.30-12.30, ideally 2-3 days/week)
- Administration support (flexible) – particularly assisting with the register (incorporating new participants into the database)
Visit the Whitehorse Churches Care Link to get involved: https://form.jotform.com/