"If you want to make your dreams come true, the first thing you have to do is wake up."

 

Last week our guest speaker was Trish Rollins from Uniting Care Westley, discussing Homelessness in our region.

 

Trish explained that last financial year UCW had 575 clients throughout the region looking for assistance because they were homeless.  36% of these people are aged between 25 to 44 years old, of all these customers 52% are women.  The main reason for the rise in homelessness is the housing crisis, no rental availabilities, either private or government, increasing rents making them move out of their current properties, and the rising cost of living.

 

Uniting Care Westley do provide shelter for up to 10 men at the St Andrews Men's Accommodation, and for children at Amity Youth Housing (1 in 4 Homeless are youth).  UCW provides counselling, and numerous other things to assist, such as swags, blankets and home starter kits, which include a kitchen pack and house cleaning pack.

 

As many attending members will attest to, we live in a very lucky country, and most of us live very well and can only image what it would be like to be homeless, and it is something our club would like to support.