A Homelessness Connect Day focusing on the health and wellbeing supports available will be held at Wyong on Wednesday, August 7, during Homelessness Week.
On any given night, 122,494 people in Australia are homeless according to latest Census figures, and the situation is not getting any better.
In a bid to offer a helping hand to people experiencing homelessness on the Central Coast, the Uniting Doorways team, along with Central Coast Council, the NSW Government and the Central Coast Community Council, has organised the Homelessness Connect Day.
Uniting NSW.ACT Central Coast Doorways Community Engagement Officer Juliette Kratochvil said the program offered a drop-in service for people who were homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
“On August 7 we’ll be at the Wyong Neighbourhood Centre offering a variety of free supports such as haircuts, food, health, clothes, information and referral services,” she said.
“The day will be all about connecting.
“Connecting the community with the community services they need – whether that be mental health, wellbeing support, getting a haircut, food, or clothes – it’s about all of those things coming together and being offered in one place.”
Homelessness Week (August 5-11) aims to build community support and government commitment to end homelessness.
Census figures reveal one in seven people experiencing homelessness are children under 12 and almost a quarter are young people aged 12-24.
One in five people experiencing homelessness is Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander.
The Doorways for Youth service which provides young people aged 16- 25 with support, information and referrals.
Doorways Housing Connectors provides homelessness support as well as information and referrals to link individuals and families with relevant services.
The services are free of charge and completely confidential.
The Central Coast Homelessness Connect Day -Health & Wellbeing will be held at Wyong Neighbourhood Centre, Old Primary School, Building 2/8 Rankens Ct, Wyong, from 10am-2pm on Wednesday, August 7.