HOME in Queanbeyan is a community initiative providing a loving place for nineteen men and women with enduring mental illness who cannot live independently, or may be at risk of homelessness. We are not here to help people. We are not here to hand out charity. What shapes and drives HOME are these two principles:
That, inspired by Christ, we seek to humbly walk alongside each other, recognising that our dignity and our freedom are caught-up in the dignity and freedom of those we serve and love; and To build a sense of self-worth and belonging to our residents, encouraging and supporting them to live productive and meaningful lives within their community.
And while we must never presume that we ever meet this standard, as long as it remains so, HOME will continue to be a voice for those in our midst who are isolated by enduring mental illness: our mothers, our fathers, our siblings, our friends, our role models … and our unknown.
HOME receives no recurrent government funding. We rely totally on the generosity of the community.
The combine Holy Cross & St Margaret’ s“ Good faith Choir”, following the lead of Kaleidoscope choir with which it performed at its recent concerts, has given $ 800 to Home in Queanbeyan. HOME was very pleased to have the donation and invited choir members to visit for a look around. Our Musical Director, Susan Reid, will be going there on 25 July at 10.30am if anyone would like to join her.
You can make a one-off or monthly donation to HOME by going to https:// www. givenow. com. au / homeinqueanbeyan.
St James Uniting in Curtin hopes to establish HOME in Canberra. St James is heavily involved in the creation of affordable housing as part of it’ s social justice agenda. This includes through the use of its land to create an affordable housing project: My Home in Canberra.
Last Month St James hosted a table talk on Housing Affordability, guided by facilitator Evan Mann and scribe Kate McLoughlin. Members of the Community participated in the Table Talk and drew on their experiences, including those experiencing or with loved ones who experience: illness, homelessness, a lack of safety, relationship breakdowns and natural disasters.
A summary of the talk is available here: Affordable Housing Table Talk summary.
St Margaret ' s News 12 July 2017