Groups unite to combat homelessness
TWO city organisations are hoping to combine their power to help combat the growing issue of homelessness.
Nat Spary from Base Services and St Vincent de Paul diocesan president John Elich met for the first time to discuss how to best address the problem.
Both organisations are preparing for sleep-out events in upcoming weeks to raise money for homelessness.
“We have been discussing those in need, particularly around homelessness and housing,” Mr Elich said.
Mr Spary said the thing Base Services did well was its soup kitchen, providing a free nutritious meal to the needy five days a week.
“Sometimes we are the first point of contact for people in need,” Mr Spary said.
“So we do a lot of referring and that is where Vinnies comes in.”
The Vinnies Community Sleepout will be held on July 27 at Gold Park while Mr Spary will host his event from August 1 to 7. He will sleep on the street the entire week and is asking for community members and business leaders to join him on the first night.
“I see our community sleep out as a fundraising activity. In no way is it giving people in the community an opportunity to experience homelessness,” Mr Elich said.
“We are asking the community through a symbolic sleep out to raise funds to allow us to provide short term and transitional housing.”
Mr Spary said what both organisations were doing was bringing awareness to the growing issue and that was the more important thing.
He is even speaking at the Vinnies sleep out about his experience of being homeless at 15.
”I think when the community works together we become stronger,” Mr Spary said.