Night Shelter starts search

FRESH off being recognised as Wangaratta's premier project at this year's Australia Day awards, the Wangaratta Night Shelter is once again gearing up to support local at–risk populations over the winter months. Entering its fourth year of caring for locals at risk of experiencing homelessness, the initiative is in the process of building a 150–strong team of volunteers, who will play a vital role in providing face–to–face and behind the scenes support for an operation which only continues to rise in stature. With an information evening slated to provide prospective volunteers with first–hand accounts of night shelter experiences next Thursday evening, member of the night shelter team Di Duursma said the shelter community had continued to strengthen over the summer months. "In theory we should have a handle on it by now," she joked. "We're employing a project assistant this year and we've had volunteers already register once again – that's really exciting that they're so focused on being involved. "It feels fantastic to be recognised and supported by the Rural City of Wangaratta and it's really nice to be building on the foundation we've developed. "We know we'll face difficult circumstances, there are always those challenges of wanting to do more – it's about realising you don't have to solve everything, you just have to be there with them to let them know they're not alone. "It feels like we're doing this together." The shelter, which utilises church facilities throughout the rural city intermittently during winter, will also be bolstered by the development of Zac's Place late last year, a daytime venue where at–risk individuals can relax indoors in the company of shelter volunteers. The Wills Street address will also serve as the shelter's base of operations, providing a meeting room for prospective volunteers and housing the shelter's food pantry. Despite a challenging COVID–impacted year in 2021, Ms Duursma anticipated volunteer numbers would increase in line with Zac's Place and night shelter requirements this time around. "Zac's Place will continue to be our daytime centre – it's very helpful to have a space to work from," she said. "We need that many (150) people to operate efficiently – there's always room for more volunteers so we encourage people to register as quickly as possible, and if you're thinking about registering, come and meet the people inside." Following Thursday's information evening at Victory Community at Ryan Avenue, training nights will be held on two consecutive Thursdays commencing on May 5. Ms Duursma said both training nights would be compulsory for volunteers to ensure the extended team is prepared for the winter period. "It's really valuable if volunteers have an awareness of some of the struggles faced by our guests," she said. "For some of us it's a long way from what we experience in our normal lives. "It's so important we take the time to do our training properly." The information night will run for an hour from 7:30pm on April 28. For more information or to express interest in volunteering, visit Wang Night Shelter on Facebook or contact wangnightshelter@gmail.com.

Night Shelter starts search

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