Minister for Families and Communities and Member for Wollongong, Paul Scully, Minister for Disability Inclusion, Kate Washington MP, and WRF manager Ash Castro at the interim centre premises. Photo: Zoe Cartwright.
Warrawong can breathe a sigh of relief thanks to a last-minute cash injection for Warrawong Residents Forum.
The community hub faced an uncertain future as the doors of their Greene Street premises close this week.
The building will be demolished, and a new combined library and community centre will be built on the site, but the Warrawong Resident’s Forum (WRF) needs a home while construction is underway.
The not-for-profit secured premises on King Street, but it needed work before it could be used.
Days before the service was set to shut up shop indefinitely, the NSW Government gave it $80,000 to get the interim King Street premises up and running.
WRF manager Ash Castro said he was delighted.
“Behind the scenes of our final community lunch on Thursday was a bit doom and gloom,” he said.
“Now it’s a celebration of all the years and time we’ve spent as a secure base for the community, and we know we’ll be back in a few weeks.”
Established by a group of locals who were frustrated by the lack of support and services in the area, WRF initially delivered programs and resources for the community.
Over the years, it has become a trusted, safe and reliable place for people seeking emergency help for essential food supplies, paying utility, rent and mortgage bills, and accessing medical, legal and other vital support services.
WRF started serving lunches to the community in 2003, and volunteers now run the lunches three days a week.
It operates a weekly food hub both at Warrawong and at Bundaleer Community Centres, provides takeaway meals for those unable to cook at home, and supplies emergency food parcels for families unable to afford groceries.
It is estimated WRF provides about 1000 kg of food each week to struggling families and vulnerable people in the area.
Member for Wollongong Paul Scully advocated strongly for the funding to minimise the disruption to the service, especially as the cost-of-living crisis has driven more people to seek help.
“It is great to know that children and families in the local community will continue to have access to essential services in their times of need,” he said.
“Services like the Warrawong Residents Forum are important so that people know that help is always at hand.”
The centre will be unable to provide food support services until early November, Ash estimates, as the interim space doesn’t have adequate food storage facilities yet.
“Our hope for the past 24 months was to have a bit of a smoother transition, but here is where we’re at,” he said.
“On Thursday and all of this week, we’ll be providing community members with information about where they can go.”
The information is crucial. Ash said that since he started at WRF, the need for food support has only increased.
“I’ve been here for two years, and we are seeing a lot of people needing our grocery service, a lot of new families, a lot of working-class families, a lot of people who have never needed that support before,” he said.
“This [funding] is a great sign of respect to the community: they are seen, they are valued, they are worthy.”
If you’d like to lend a helping hand, visit WRF.
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