We’re so excited to welcome two paid staff members at Safe Waters – our new shelter coordinators Rebecca Smith and Jodi Blair.
They’re being kept very busy at our South Street Shelter, helping people who need a roof over their heads and managing our team of incredible volunteers.
Jodi and Rebecca share a full-time paid role from Monday to Friday 9am-5pm, generously funded by the Foundation for Rural & Regional Renewal (FRRR).
Thanks to FRRR and Jodi and Rebecca’s hard work, we no longer have to ask our guests to leave South Street each morning and stay out all day. On weekdays, we can open the shelter night and day.
The NSW government’s Social Sector Support Fund is assisting us to pay wages too.
The additional funding means our Executive Director and founder Sarah Date can now be paid for two days of work a week, instead of volunteering all the time that she dedicates to the shelter.
We’ll continue to seek funding so that we can also welcome guests day and night on weekends, when it’s harder to find volunteers.
Our need for paid staff will only grow when we open the doors of our Princes Highway Shelter, refurbished with people’s kind donations and labour, which is awaiting final council approval. And we recently identified a third premises on St Vincent Street Ulladulla.
Already we’ve given 50 people facing homelessness a safe place to sleep for the night. But over 140 people have come through our service. More beds are urgently needed, so we don’t have to turn anyone away.
Jodi expresses her concerns for the people that the shelter is unable to accommodate due to shared rooms and how difficult it is feeling helpless not being able to provide a
bed. Jodi also states “There are also a lot of teenagers out on the streets, which is heartbreaking”.
With winter on the way, would you like to help us give safe shelter to more people doing it tough in our community, along with a warm shower, a healthy meal and a chance to connect with someone who cares? You can make a donation to Safe Waters or sign on as a volunteer here.