COVID-19: Hub supports homeless when they need it most
- Last updated:
- 9 December 2020 2:55PM
- First published:
- 23 June 2020 12:56PM
People in need on the Sunshine Coast are accessing vital housing, health and food services at a one-stop-shop services hub.
Initiated by the department, IFYS Ltd and the Sunshine Coast Council, the Homelessness Hub was born through partners sharing their knowledge of the unique needs of people on the coast and working together to find a solution.
James O’Brien, Regional Director Central and North Coast region says that the local teams have been working on a homeless response on the Sunshine Coast for some time.
“This was a natural step for us to talk about as a group how do we get together and come up with a different response,” says James.
The Hub is staffed three days a week by volunteers and local community organisations such as Sunny Street Medical, Orange Sky Laundry, Coast2Bay Housing, Queensland Health’s Homeless Health Outreach Team, Community Solutions, Suncoast Christian Care and United Synergies.
James says the services people in need are accessing varies.
“Some people don’t want accommodation, they just want to come, see the doctor, talk to support service and get some food.”
The range of housing services provided has been wide also.
“Some of it is around advice, but we’ve been headleasing properties, some people are going into social housing, some people will go into the community rent scheme or a crisis property, so it’s really around understanding each individual and what it means for them.”
Not just a roof over their heads
“Before someone is allocated a property, we engage them with a support service. Kyabra operate our HomeStay service, but we also link customers to other services as required.”
For customers like Matthew, the Hub came along at just the right time.
“Without this place and their services, I could still be on the streets sleeping under a stairwell,” he says.
Thanks to the Hub, Matthew has been housed at temporary accommodation at Kawana Waters.
“It’s like a little motel. It’s government and community all coming together to give us this chance.”
The Homelessness Hub at the Sunshine Coast Stadium is open 10am to 3pm Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, until the end of June.