The passion of the people who help the homeless

The Canberra Times

Amanda Peters is a volunteer at the Fletcher Street Cottage in Byron Bay which helps the homeless and vulnerable. She says everyone has the right to a full stomach, clean clothes and a safe home. "I wish we could do more," she says.

Transcript

00:00I've been here since we opened, and that was two years ago, or two and a half now.

00:07And I wanted to give back to our community.

00:13And I know we have a lot of people who might be sleeping rough,

00:19or in jeans on the streets, or couch surfing.

00:25And I just don't like it.

00:29And if there's a way we can help, it just drives me every day.

00:36I have a massive passion around this.

00:40And now, of course, because the fastest growing demographic is women,

00:47it's 55 and over, even more so.

00:50And I know where they sleep in their cars.

00:53I know where they are.

00:55On TV, or domestic violence, sorry, we're starting to see a mum.

01:02Kids come in, not a lot, I wish more.

01:06But it's just, you know, everyone has a right to have a full stomach,

01:11and a shower, and clean clothes.

01:14And it's those little things, with a team of people, that we can offer.

01:21And, I mean, we opened, and we thought 35 people was a lot.

01:27I think the largest number we've done is 86.

01:31And that wasn't because of floods or anything else.

01:35And when you see a father or a mum coming with their little one,

01:40and they can't afford to feed themselves,

01:46I just, I hate it, I can't stand it.

01:50And I wish we could do more.

01:54But this is a one-stop shop.

01:56They can come in and feel relaxed, and connect, or just be on their own.

02:05And bit by bit, they do relax.

02:08And you can then let them know about what goes on,

02:14if they need any help, or just a haircut, a doctor.

02:20I'd love to get a dentist here.

02:23But to sit on the phone to try and get your ID back,

02:28or to chase up, send a link, they've got to get there.

02:36Then they potentially have to sit for two hours.

02:40They're sitting here for two hours.

02:43And if they've got someone to talk to at the same time,

02:48they don't get frustrated and upset.

02:51And they know others care.

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