SAFE PLACE FOR ADELAIDE’S HOMELESS
F or close to two years AnglicareSA has been working on a plan to address homelessness in Adelaide’s central business district and provide people with safe place to sleep. At a recent homelessness conference it announced a $1.6 million investment to create its Healing Centre, which will be one of the city’s first 24/7 homeless accommodation and support services. The Healing Centre will give homeless people a safe place to stay, and will deliver long-term, sustainable outcomes. It will help the homeless to transition away from homelessness, because a journey to a safe place is everyone’s right. AnglicareSA CEO Peter Sandeman said homelessness is an ongoing, complicated and challenging issue to address but he was confident the Healing Centre will help those in the community who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. “Over many years there have been several initiatives aimed at reducing homelessness, but unfortunately these have been short-term fixes,” Peter said recently. “Our vision is to create a long-term solution to help people in the CBD
transition away from homelessness and give them the support that they need to successfully do so.” The service delivery model that will be used at the centre isn’t your typical model; instead it will be directed by the individual. “We want the person to tell us what they want, rather than us telling them what we believe they need,” Peter said. “The people living in the centre will have access to a range of support programs to help them transition into a home of their own but most importantly, it will give the individual a safe place to stay.” Now that the building has been purchased, the next step is to secure funding from third-parties to help with the building’s refurbishment and fit-out. AnglicareSA is calling for support from the private sector and the community to help raise at least $500,000 to make the building feel more like a home. This money will be spent on refurbishing internal structures inside the building and also furnishing the rooms. If you are able to help, please visit www.anglicaresa.com.au or call 8305 9200.
The Supporter Spring 2016 — page 3
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