Bayside Salvos providing housing, help and hope

(From left) Diane Quinlan (Salvos Housing) with the Bayside Salvos team – Jodie Frazer (Operations Manager), and Captains Natalie and Scott Frame (Corps Officers).

BY CLIFF WORTHING

‘Housing, Help and Hope’ has already achieved the desired result for one family, with another family soon to reap the benefits of Bayside Corps’ Houses of Hope initiative in south-east Brisbane.

“Our first family is now starting to dream about a better future,” said Jodie Frazer, Houses of Hope Coordinator. “The stability of secure accommodation has really helped, and the children regularly attend corps activities.”

Previously, the family had struggled to maintain stability through five months of temporary living arrangements, sometimes without cooking facilities, making it difficult for the children to attend school regularly.

Bayside Salvos held a breakfast to launch the Houses of Hope initiative.

Launched in June, the Houses of Hope initiative – with the slogan ‘Housing, Help and Hope’ – aims to provide safe and secure housing for families at risk of homelessness.

Bayside Corps acts as the lead tenant for rental properties, helps furnish the property, assists families in accessing available government and community support and aids the family’s journey to sustainable self-sufficiency.

The launch involved all three levels of government, local businesses, community groups, real estate agents and local Salvo expressions.

“Within three days of the launch, our local Remax real estate agent came to us with a landlord wanting to offer their house for rental,” said Captain Natalie Frame, Bayside Corps Officer. “Other organisations and individuals have since offered furniture and fundraising opportunities.”

Bayside Salvos are using $60,000 raised from several years of fundraising through Red Shield Appeals to fund the initiative.

Diane Quinlan (Salvos Housing) picking up the keys to the first Houses of Hope home from Jen Lovison (Remax Investment Manager) and Hayley Van De Ven (Principal of Remax Alexandra Hills).

“However, we really needed buy-in from the community to make this work,” Natalie said. “Salvos Housing is a key component in managing the property side of things, and Cleveland Salvos Stores has been amazing as usual.”

The corps anticipates having two additional families in rentals by the end of October. A landlord connected to the Bayside Salvos has offered their place for a family, and Remax Alexandra Hills has secured another house to rent.

“It is so exciting to have this level of collaboration as the project brings people together to meet a desperate need,” Natalie said. “We thought we could start with one of these houses, but we have stretched our vision because so many people are interested in joining us to offer hope.”