Charities here to help those in need as temperatures continue to drop

As Moreton Bay braces for more bitterly cold nights, a number of charities and organisations are reminding those who are homeless or doing it a little tough that help is available.

According to Encircle Housing and Neighbourhoods Manager Stephen Hawkins, there has been a dramatic increase in the number of people reaching out for assistance.

“The COVID pandemic and overall economic situation has continued to have a significant impact on the local community, resulting in an increase in requests for support and assistance with emergency food, housing and homelessness, domestic and family violence, and advocacy,” Stephen said.

“In the first half of 2022, Encircle staff have responded to 7,626 community members, and provided 1,058 food parcels catering for more than 1500 adults and 945 children.

“We facilitate Moreton Bay’s only Homeless Outreach Assistance Program (HOAP) which provides outreach and collaboration with services across the region to support vulnerable members of our community.

“HOAP is currently supporting 80 individuals and families that don’t have a place to call home right now. They are couch surfing with family or friends, temporarily staying in short term accommodation, sleeping in vehicles or sleeping rough in public spaces.

“When people are without a home, it generally coincides with other needs including emergency food relief, counselling and financial counselling, all services we support the community with at Encircle.”

Where to turn for help

Here are a few services that can provide help to people who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, couch surfing or simply struggling to make ends meet.

There are multiple organisations spread out across the Moreton Bay region offering clothing, blankets, food parcels and more that are not mentioned here, so if you are in dire need, please reach out to the many services that are closest to you or best suits your needs.

Encircle

There are three neighbourhood centres across the region which Encircle run, including Pine Rivers, Kallangur and Redcliffe.

All neighbourhood centres are open from 9am-3pm every Monday to Friday and can support community members with emergency wellbeing assistance such as counselling, support for older people, family support, and homelessness, tenancy and housing support.

They also collaborate with other community groups to support enhanced strength and resilience across the Moreton Bay region.

The following services are available at each centre:

Pine Rivers Neighbourhood Centre: 685 Gympie Road, Lawnton - every weekday subject to availability - hot meals, clothing, blankets, toiletries, emergency food parcels, hot showers and laundry facilities.

Kallangur Neighbourhood Centre, 51 Marsden Road, Kallangur - toiletries and clothing, subject to availability.

Redcliffe Neighbourhood Centre, 1 Lamington Drive, Redcliffe - clothing, emergency food parcels, toiletries, blankets, hot meals, subject to availability

Breakfast Club Redcliffe

The Breakfast Club in Redcliffe is a free crisis centre where the homeless or disadvantaged can access information about local services, receive emergency food, clothing and other supplies.

They provide free community meals every Tuesday and Thursday from 4.30-5.30pm, as well as a hot breakfast every Monday, Wednesday and Friday morning from 7-8am.

They can also provide emergency food parcels and supplies for rough sleepers.

Breakfast Club Redcliffe will also host the Moreton Bay Housing and Homeless Society annual reconnect event on August 4. This will be an opportunity for people who are homeless, at risk of becoming homeless, or those who simply want to help, to find out more information about local services. 

If you are needing help or would like to have a chat to someone about donating items, phone the Breakfast Club on 0467 811 380.

They are located at Pensioner's Hall, on the corner of Portwood St and Oxley Ave, Redcliffe.

Chameleon Housing

Chameleon Housing is an accommodation and support service catering for residents aged between 16-25.

They support many people who are homeless or at risk of being homeless.

If you are in need, phone them on 3284 4805.

Rosies Caboolture

Volunteers from Rosies can be found at the Caboolture Train Station every Friday night from 8-10pm.

They can provide cups of hot milo, tea and coffee, noodles and cups of soup, as well as water and cordial.

Forecast shows more chilly nights on the way 

Overnight temperatures will continue to remain around 9C and 10C over the coming week, with a wind change in the middle of next week expected to take away some of that chill factor.

Brooke Pagel from the Bureau of Meteorology says Moreton Bay will miss out on the strong wind warnings that were impacting other parts of the state, including the Sunshine Coast and Gold Coast.

“The southerly winds will be sticking around today (Thursday) and Friday, which are the real chilly ones,” she said.

“Those winds are roughly 12km/h.

“The winds will then switch to a northerly direction, and with all that moisture in the air we could see possible showers on Wednesday and Thursday.”

The temperatures for this week are:

Friday: Sunny with an overnight low of 9C and a top of 20C

Saturday: Sunny with an overnight low of 9C and a top of 20C

Sunday: Sunny with an overnight low of 10C and a top of 19C

Monday: Sunny with an overnight low of 9C and a top of 22C

Tuesday: Sunny with an overnight low of 9C and a top of 19C

Wednesday: Possible showers with an overnight low of 10C and a top of 18C

Thursday: Possible showers with an overnight low of 10C and a top of 19C

Friday: Sunny with an overnight low of 10C and a top of 20C.