Colac Corps comes clean on how it connects with the community
BY LERISSE SMITH
It may appear to be a small gesture.
However, the provision of new washing machines and dryers for the Colac Salvos Community Centre in Victoria’s west has fostered greater community engagement and strengthened connections among local residents from all walks of life.
“It has been a lifeline,” says Josiah Van Niekerk, Colac Corps Leader.
“More people can now come through our laundry. It has more than doubled our capability in that space, and, for us, it is great to be able to have people in washing their clothes.
“But what we really want them to do is also eat the cakes and drink the coffee that we make and have a sit down with the team and a chat. We have a lunch on Monday, brekky on Wednesday and food all day Friday, and we want people to come in and spend their time here and make this space as a second home, which we are seeing more and more.”
A key component for the Salvos team has been reshaping their mindset about the individuals in need who use the laundry. It’s not exclusively the homeless or those facing financial hardships who utilise the facility. It serves the entire community and has attracted a variety of diverse people.
“It can be a social, mental or spiritual need being met,” Josiah says.
“We might have someone come in who is a multi-millionaire that has got 75 washing machines at home, but they are coming in so they can have a cup of coffee while getting their washing on.
“At the end of the day, the greater need for any Salvation Army expression isn’t necessarily to feed people or get their clothes cleaned – that’s a bonus. That’s the easy part. It’s about building relationships [and] building pathways for people to get access to the Kingdom of God. A washing machine is a vessel where people can do that.”
The four shiny new washing machines and four dryers donated by the Rotary Club of Colac West are getting a good workout for five hours each Monday, Wednesday and Friday.
The space can easily accommodate about 8-10 households each session, while on a good day, there were only about four. Additionally, the new vented dryers allow people to dry items such as sleeping bags, blankets, dressing gowns and a larger volume of clothes.
Josiah said the donation of the white goods had also helped with the financing of the facility. The cost of running the laundry has not been cheap. Since the Community Centre opened about 20 months ago, there have been huge costs associated with getting everything up and running.
“We need to cover things that aren’t glamorous, like the laundry,” Josiah said. “To get it functional, we had to run $10,000 worth of power in the laundry room, and to run a whole new circuit to make it operational and some more water in as well cost about $15,000 to $18,000 before you buy the washing machines.
“It has been an amazing opportunity to work with the Rotary Club to give generously to the community with the laundry service a really good way to get different kinds of people in that might not necessarily come in for relational kind of purposes to begin with. We definitely rope them in where we can!”
