Uncategorized Archives - Byron Community Centre

27Apr2017

Client Story: Hope

After a crippling car accident Teresa, age 26, was left what she described as “a living nightmare.”

Like so many clients of the Byron Community Centre’s vital Community service, Teresa had no support – She found herself isolated, in sever relentless pain, poverty stricken and in the full-time care of her 10-year-old son;

“I couldn’t walk, wash or feed myself. I couldn’t brush my teeth or hair… My son left school and would walk the six kilometres each way to town, so we could use his bus fare for food. We lived on bread, 2-minute noodles, baked beans and tinned spaghetti, it was all we could afford and all he could prepare. We often went without food”

Teresa was at a loss.

“Throughout this ten years of living hell, if it was not for the holistic support of the Community Centre and in particular the guidance of Cat, I would not be here alive today.

We are still struggling, but that would be futile without the assistance that the Community Centre has provided. We have been provided with support and guidance through the system. I was previously unaware of Centrelink options, respite and community support programs for both myself and my son as a young carer.

The emergency food vouchers have provided us with food and essentials when we had none. The electricity vouchers and advocacy have kept the lights on. The free counselling service provided me with support for my personal benefit and throughout the legal ordeal including a support person during the hearing and has given me options and tools for moving forward by adjusting to my limitations. The Christmas hampers and birthday gifts have allowed my son to have some elements of a normal childhood and brought light and love into our life when we had none.

The assistance the Community Centre obtained to provide my son with soccer boots has allowed him to keep playing and given him a stress outlet and source for social interaction which as a full-time carer has been severely restricted and full of pressure. The petrol vouchers have allowed me to get to vital and sometimes life changing medical appointments that would have otherwise been lost. The free frozen meals have saved us on so many occasions and are more than just food, they are gifts in our home that reminds us that someone cares and remembers us.
Cat’s belief in me that I have strength and resourcefulness has often lifted me from the darkest moments. The non judgemental and accessible service has obvious physical benefits and advocacy, but in addition to this life support, the compassion and insight of the staff like Cat and Celeste generates hope, which is priceless.

I will never be able to thank them enough.

You can help us provide a Safety Net to our community during times of need. Donate to our Safety Net Appeal

Byron Community Showers

by Shanti Des Fours in BCC Blog, Community,

In early 2015 The Byron Cottage Drop In Centre closed down due to lack of funding. This centre was the only place a local person experiencing homelessness could go for a hot shower and a few moments of privacy in Byron Bay.

Since its closure local community service workers from the Byron Community Centre, FSG, The Family Centre and Connecting Home have all been working collaboratively to find a new way to help our most vulnerable community members meet their basic human needs – showers and sanitation.

Together, we’ve performed community consultation with local residents, local people who are experiencing homelessness, and local businesses and community service organisations. We’ve even reached out to organisations in other cities that have addressed this issue, to learn from their experiences.

We have now found a solution, and it has been met with profound gratitude and relief from our first few visitors:

“The first man I told was so relieved. He was living on the streets with all his possessions tucked away in his raggedy old backpack. He told me he was about to get on a bus and travel to Sydney to visit family, but was worried he would bother the other travellers as he hadn’t been able to shower or shave for a couple of weeks. Now he can climb aboard feeling confident and comfortable for the 12 hours bus ride” Bruce Heid, Volunteer Community Services Worker at the Byron Community Centre.

Headed by the Byron Community Centre, The Community Showers project is a simple one: For two hours two days a week the disused Girl Guide Hall in Carlyle St is open for appointment-based showers and haircuts.

“Our visitors are often feeling unclean and self-conscious. They can be feeling a bit rattled and vulnerable. We needed to find a space that reflected the value of the people we were supporting. We wanted our visitors to feel welcomed and worthy of care.” Celeste Harris, Community Services Coordinator at the Byron Community Centre.

Community showers won’t solve homelessness, but it does fill a massive gap in available support for those without a home in our community, and its impact has a flow-on effect many of us may not have considered

“People can’t access jobs and accommodation, or maintain health if they can’t get clean. It’s as simple as that.” Explains Bruce Heid.

Our wider network of frontline community organisations have all chipped in to make this happen. We’ve got outreach workers onsite at the showers and we use the Liberation Larder and BCC homeless breakfasts to make appointments.

This project is testament to the collaborative and inclusive nature of community services in Byron Bay, we have worked together to continue creating meaningful solution-based change in our community.