Nungurra Manager Ryan Hedley, Residential Youth Worker Ashley Christie and Nungurra Team Leader Laura Ferguson with a few of the many origami houses staff and residents have been making to mark Homelessness Week.
Photo: Troy Brown/GEGAC
By Troy Brown
The staff and residents at GEGAC’s Nungurra Youth Accommodation have been making origami houses as part of a statewide campaign in support of Homelessness Week this week.
Homelessness Week focuses on raising awareness about the causes and impacts of homelessness, and educating communities about how they can make a difference.
Here in Australia, we have more than 116,000 people experiencing homelessness.
Due to a lack of affordable and available housing, it has been hard for many people to keep up with rent percentage spikes of up to 23.5% in some parts of Gippsland over the past 12 months.
Now you might be wondering, “why origami houses, and what has been Nungurra’s involvement?”
The theme for this year’s National Homelessness Week is “Its Time to End Homelessness.” The provision of more housing is seen as a critical step toward that goal.
The Victorian Homelessness Network (VHN) is organising a statewide campaign that will include 6,000 origami houses made and displayed at Parliament House during August.
Six thousand is the number of social housing properties that need to be built each year for the next 10 years.
Our Nungurra Youth Accommodation is a safe place for our young people who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of possible becoming homeless.
It provides a range of services and support to help young people get back on their feet and move towards a brighter future.
Our staff down at Nungurra work with the residents to develop and individualised plans that address their physical, emotional, and social needs.
This can include things like counselling, education and employment support, and assistance with finding stable housing.
GEGAC’s Nungurra staff are trained to be supportive and non-judgmental, and they work incredibly hard to create a safe and respectful area to create a feel of community within the refuge.
To learn more about Nungurra, visit the GEGAC website, or call GEGAC main reception on 5150 0700 and ask about intake at Nungurra.
