BaptistCare’s South Coast Hub lead Michael Mittwollen and clinical pathways lead Bianca Ring at the Port Kembla centre. Photo: NSW Ports.
A Port Kembla drop-in centre which provides a safe space and support to locals living below the poverty line will be able to expand after a funding boost from NSW Ports.
BaptistCare HopeStreet provides services to help those who are homeless or struggling to meet basic needs, as well as support with social and financial exclusion, mental health challenges, drug and alcohol dependence and housing needs.
It is one of 17 community groups, clubs and schools to benefit from the latest NSW Ports Community Grants.
The program offers one-off grants of up to $25,000 for initiatives, projects and services operating around NSW Ports’ sites at Port Kembla, Port Botany and the Enfield and Cooks River terminals.
HopeStreet South Coast Hub lead Michael Mittwollen said the grant would be used to develop an outdoor courtyard, including a kitchen garden and non-commercial cafe with seating and a recreation space.
“We are really stoked with the news as this is a project we have wanted to complete for some time, and now with the support of this NSW Ports grant we will be able to do it this year,” he said.
“It’s an area where we are looking to relocate a coffee machine, extend a deck, integrate some gardens and improve the seating to the area.”
HopeStreet teams have seen firsthand how the cost-of-living crisis has resulted in a dramatic rise in food distress and say people who visit the centre often go days without life’s basics, such as food and a shower.
The centre helps people to develop skills to build independence and resilience, everything from friendly chats to laundry, secondhand clothing, referrals, a hot meal or food hamper.
The NSW Ports Community Grants Program is in its fifth year and CEO Marika Calfas said a broad variety of projects and programs would receive funding around the Port Kembla area.
“We’ve reached into the community in areas of education, social welfare, sports, community services and emergency services and this year is no exception, with the grants funding projects and programs which benefit a diverse range of groups within the community,” Ms Calfas said.
“Beyond the grants themselves, what we continue to see through this program is an amazing number of people who contribute their time and their energy to make a difference in their community and it is a real privilege to be able to be a part of that and to be able to help them achieve those objectives.”
The other grant recipients in the Port Kembla area are:
- Escabags: to provide free Escape Bags for individuals and families fleeing domestic and family abuse
- Illawarra Women’s Health Centre: to purchase outdoor equipment for Warilla Education and Care Service
- The Illawarra Community Housing Trust: to support the Tylah West Education Scholarship to help social and affordable housing tenants achieve their education, training, and employment goals
- Wollongong West Public School: to purchase equipment for the English as an Additional Language classroom and students
- Port Kembla Junior Football Club: to construct a secure outdoor enclosure to store playing goals and other equipment
- Goats Creek Longboarders: to purchase competition rash shirts for the club’s surfing competitions
- Primbee Public School: to promote cultural understanding through multicultural workshops throughout the year and a celebration on Harmony Day in 2026.
