By Amy ChengTuesday 26 Sep 2023Social JusticeReading Time: 4 minutes
A new homeless shelter in Redfern is providing a safe space for people experiencing homelessness with a focus on building relationships.
St Francis House opened last month and is run by Cana Communities, a not-for-profit charity providing accommodation for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of being homeless.
Julie Sneddon, CEO, said the charity saw a need in the community.
“We always look to see what the need is of the current climate and Redfern is a bit of a hub in terms of the services that are available for people,” she told Hope 103.2.
“There’s a high population of people living on the streets and in the parks and part of the reason is because the city has the services and the charities that people need to access.”
“We’ve introduced an overnight stay for women who are on the streets who have experienced domestic violence,” – Julie Sneddon, Cana Communities CEO
The shelter is a new version of Teresa House, an overnight shelter that Cana had to close when the pandemic hit.
“What we’ve done differently this time is that we’ve also introduced an overnight stay for women who are on the streets who have experienced domestic violence,” Ms Sneddon said.
“We used to have both men and women coming on the same evening, and we still have nights where that’s possible, but we have also seen that there’s a need to have women looking after women.”
Currently, the shelter is open for lunch on Tuesdays, with a women’s only overnight stay that evening, and Friday and Saturday nights, but the goal is to open the house full time, seven days a week.
“We have a project called One Table, which is the opportunity for people to come and have lunch on a Tuesday and dinner on a Thursday, all on one table,” Ms Sneddon said.
Building relationships
She believes that St Francis House is different to other homeless shelters because the environment is more like a home.
“We have an opportunity to have meals together because we only have bedding for seven people, so it’s much more intimate.
“It’s a lovely two-storey terrace and we have an outdoor area and a barbecue, so it’s a home space.”
Cana has a focus on creating relationships with people in the community.
“Our whole mission with Cana is about the equality and the sense of belonging and it’s not serving meals, it’s actually sharing time and learning from each other and valuing each other’s differences,” Ms Sneddon said.
“Our whole mission with Cana is about the equality and the sense of belonging… it’s actually sharing time and learning from each other and valuing each other’s differences,” – Julie Sneddon
Making a difference in the community
Although St Francis House is new, Cana has seen the impact of their work through its other shelters.
“We have had people who have come to us who have been from jail, from rehab or on the streets, and in the last six or seven months, we’ve been able to support them by getting them on NDIS,” Ms Sneddon said.
“They’ve been able to get on the housing list, they now have proper medical care because we have a community nurse… some of them are now at TAFE and having an opportunity to have an education.”
Although this is not true for everyone who comes through their shelters, she still believes Cana is making a difference.
“I wouldn’t want to pretend that everybody at all is a success, however, lots of people have managed their lives better.
“And perhaps to others it doesn’t seem successful, but they have stayed out of drugs and got a home and they’re managing.”
Run by volunteers
Ms Sneddon believes this impact is partly due to the volunteer model that Cana has, where everyone is a volunteer, apart from people managing the finances; even her role is voluntary.
The charity does not receive government funding and is solely dependent on donations from the community.
The charity does not receive government funding… Cana is currently looking for volunteers to help fill weekend shifts at its Redfern shelter.
The volunteers are varied and diverse, aged between 25 to 80, and their roles are even more diverse, with some helping people fill out forms and book appointments with Centrelink, cooking meals, doing art therapy and hairdressing.
“They can do as much or as little as they choose to, there’s obviously the sharing of the meals and doing that together,” Ms Sneddon said.
“There’s also the need to provide support around accessing the services that people need, but… it’s not about coming with necessarily a firm commitment to do anything, it’s more about people making connections.”
Several people coming through the shelters have commented on the dedication of the volunteers.
“A number of them say to me, ‘oh, well, you’re not just doing it as a job, you’re actually doing it because you care’,” Ms Sneddon said.
Cana is currently looking for volunteers to help fill weekend shifts at its Redfern shelter. Those interested can send an email to carmel.shaw@cana.org.au. All volunteers will receive full training and support in line with Cana’s mission and practicalities related to the shelter.
Next month, Cana will have an art exhibition that is being managed by an art therapist working with the community.
“Everybody in the community, including volunteers, is telling their stories… we’ve got this theme of what connection and community has done for you,” Ms Sneddon said.
Source: Supplied / St Francis House
