Wangaratta churches offer solution to homelessness during freezing winter

ABC NEWS (Australia)

As bitter winter temperatures set in, a collection on churches in north-east Victoria have opened their doors to the homeless as part of the Wangaratta night shelter project. The denominations are working together to house those sleeping rough.

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00:00The streets of Wangaratta are a cold place to be sleeping overnight, with temperatures

00:07regularly dropping below zero in winter.

00:10It's a reality which is all too familiar for Eve Davis, who spent four years outside of

00:14a permanent home as a single mum.

00:17She remembers the moment she was able to find a home with her children.

00:20I couldn't comprehend it.

00:21I thought, no, this is, this must be the wrong house.

00:26Like, yeah, it was just a blessing.

00:30The Wangaratta Night Shelter is an initiative which sees six different churches of varying

00:35denominations open up their doors to people experiencing homelessness.

00:39Knowing that you've got a safe place, and that's what I hear from a lot of the people

00:43that come here, you know, they feel safe.

00:47It all started six years ago when local pastor Di Dersmer saw a need to get those sleeping

00:53rough into the warm.

00:55We knew people that were sick on the streets, that were in terrible situations, and we just

00:59had to do something to bring a change to that.

01:01As temperatures plummet, she says empty churches were an untapped resource.

01:06And so if what we have is empty buildings and we have meals that we can make together

01:11and we have community, then let's use that.

01:14Each night of the week, a different church or community centre opens its doors, including

01:19a Methodist church, community church and a uniting church.

01:23While in the past this kind of collaboration might have been unheard of, volunteers are

01:27proud their local parishes are working together.

01:29I think it's great.

01:31Church buildings aren't used at night time.

01:33They're warm.

01:34Generally they've got kitchens, toilets, all that sort of stuff, that's all you need.

01:38We would love to see other communities look at what we're doing and say we can do this

01:42in our community.

01:43One, this could be you who is homeless, but also this could be you as a community that

01:48responds to homelessness in your area.

01:51A novel idea which could help the vulnerable around the country.

01:55Jason Kitsaris, ABC News, Wangaratta.

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