Help for homeless won’t stop

THE 2024 Bendigo Winter Night Shelter might have been cancelled for lack of volunteers, but its organisers are pursuing efforts to help the region’s homeless through a bedding relief campaign.

The initiative has already provided 24 sleeping bags suitable for outdoor use, while six portable backpack beds have been given to Haven Home Safe.

Another six will be going to the Salvation Army, and more of both will be sourced if there is a demand.

Now the focus is on getting the shelter back up and running in 2025.

Bendigo Winter Night Shelter chair Andrew Plant said response to the announcement in May that there were too few volunteers to run this year’s shelter had been encouraging.

“We’re optimistic,” he said. “We realise we’ve still got a fair bit of work to do.”

A new website is expected to go live soon, while the board is putting together position descriptions for operational roles, which is a legal requirement.

Mr Plant said that documentation should be completed next month, after which attention would be turned to attracting volunteers for shifts at the shelter at the Koolamurt Park Scout Camp.

The shelter provides beds, toilets, showers, laundry facilities and meals for up to 10 people a day during winter.

An intense three-month volunteer recruitment campaign will begin on 1 February.

Anyone who wants to be a volunteer for the scout camp site shifts can register at bwns.org.au, while those interested in serving on the board or in an operational capacity can email [email protected].

“Hopefully we’ll get either 200 or 300 and we’ll take it from there,” Mr Plant said. “It is looking good for next year.

“Really, our core focus is getting our board and operational people set up, and then get those volunteers in.

“We’re hoping the response we got from the public is reflected in registrations.”