Plight of homeless continues to grow

NEWS

By Susannah Thomsett

The plight of the homeless keeps growing in Brisbane, according to 139 Club general manager Rod Kelly. He says more than 200 people visit his Fortitude Valley premises daily seeking help, and it’s why the 139 Club is seeking government funding to expand its “Safe Sleeping Strategy” pilot program.

Each Wednesday the 139 Club provides eleven beds to women referred by Homeless Persons Information Queensland. Participants must be aged eighteen or over and homeless, or at risk of becoming homeless.
Mr Kelly says the club lacks the resources, financial or human, to run the Safe Sleeping Strategy or more than one night a week.
“At this point, we’re hoping the program will run indefinitely … [we’re] currently looking for federal funding, but will also look at the availability of local and state funding,” Mr Kelly said.
“We did a bit of a survey and found the most vulnerable group among the homeless or at-risk of homelessness people were women.” After staying the night at the 139 Club, participants are assessed and referred to Under One Roof, a consortium of charities specialising in homelessness and its associated problems.
“Whatever the problem, there’s someone in the consortium who can help,” Mr Kelly said. One Wednesday night a woman arrived at the 139 Club in her pyjamas after being kicked out of her home by her husband.
“She was in tears because he wouldn’t let her take her cat with her … she’d had that cat for nine years, and she had to leave it with her violent husband,” Mr Kelly said. “In the morning she could have a shower, we gave her some clothing, she had breakfast, and we gave her a referral to another member of the consortium.”
The 139 Club’s main activities are supplying at-risk or homeless people with free or low cost meals, clothing parcels, hot showers, laundry facilities, toiletries, day beds, lockers, mail and message collection services. Members of the public can help the 139 Club by making a donation of money, clothing, non-perishable food, or hygiene products.
“100 per cent of all donations go to the people who access the 139 Club,” Mr Kelly said. The 139 Club also welcomes volunteers for their kitchen or donation room, or you can hire the 139 Club’s catering enterprise for a private party, function or event.
All profits are used to employ homeless people in a twelve month paid kitchen traineeship.
To contact the 139 Club, visit http://www.139club.com.au, or call 3254 1144, or drop in to the day centre at 505 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley. To contact Homeless Persons Information Queensland, call 1800 47 47 53 (toll free number) or 1800 010 222 (toll free, TTY).