Photo: Supplied.
BY ALLISON WICKS, CEO OF WYNNUM COMMUNITY PLACE
Wynnum Community Place, located at 55 Berrima Street in Wynnum, has recently been defunded after a successful two-year pilot.
However, the Redland Community Centre Board has decided to continue delivering services to members of the Wynnum community most in need because it is the ‘right thing to do’ for the people of Wynnum.
Previously, Wynnum Community Place’s funding from the Department of Community, Housing and Digital Economy provided emergency relief funds for essentials such as food, fuel, medical scripts, rental relief, and car registration. Wynnum Community Place has no funding and no paid staff and is facing an increasing need to support those most vulnerable in and across the Lytton region.
With the need for this service increasing across Lytton due to the high cost of food, fuel, unaffordable rents, and the housing crisis, Wynnum Community Place is doing what it can to provide assistance. The ‘Place for Everyone in Wynnum’ is now reaching out, seeking community and business support to continue operating.
An example of the increased need in the community is a recent Tuesday night (26 April 2022) where Wynnum Community Place provided over 70 hot meals at its weekly Tuesday community sit-down meal program – the highest amount of support issued on any one night.
The community meal program is designed to assist those most vulnerable in the Wynnum community: homeless, isolated, seniors and families doing it tough. This program is very much needed and provides, for some, the only opportunity to sit down and receive a hot, homestyle cooked meal. Thankfully the WCP community meals program is kindly funded by the Port of Brisbane, but even that funding is nearing an end.
The homeless situation in Wynnum has increased significantly over the last 12 months, with families now making up the biggest demographic seeking assistance from Homeless United. Homeless United, a homeless program that has been delivering support to those most vulnerable for five years, was also defunded in November 2022.
Families who have jobs, bonds and good financial capacity are living out of their cars. Emergency relief has been part of the service provision in Wynnum for around five years and provides free food parcels, fuel cards, assistance with budgeting and payment of utility bills, meat and vegetables via this federally funded crisis support. Thankfully (and due to the federal government funding received by Redland Community Centre), the Emergency Relief support provided at WCP will continue, albeit at a lesser rate than when state and federal funding was available.
The need for community support and homelessness is increasing, yet funding for both these high-need, necessary and vital programs has been removed.
Wynnum Community Place delivers weekly ‘Changing Lanes’ and community meals on Tuesday, emergency relief (Tuesday & Thursday), Meditation (Monday), AA & NA (Thursday). Additional programs and events available for the people of Wynnum include new parents’ support, International Women’s Day, Christmas and Back to School projects.
Wynnum was provided with the highest amount of support over any other region (Redlands, SMBI, Minjerribah, Wynnum/Manly) by both the Christmas and Backpack to School programs this financial year.
Wynnum Community Place is always looking for collaborative partnerships that align with our vision of ‘Building Resilience, Community Wellbeing and Capacity’. Wynnum Community Place has been embedded in the Wynnum community since 2017 and knows the people of Wynnum and their needs extremely well.
If you would like to support or become involved with Wynnum Community Place, please contact CEO Allison Wicks via email [email protected] or phone 3245 2117 to discuss how you can be a part of a service that delivers.
