Hello Friends and supporters,
In the first 10 years of Avalon we published a quarterly newsletter called the ‘Avalonian Gazette’. By popular demand we have decided to resurrect it! It will be a means to keep you updated on the events and activities of Avalon.
This first Newsletter comes at a very unique time with many challenges. There are many people who are suffering from financial pressures as well as finding the restrictions and isolation extremely difficult to cope with. At Avalon we are trying to provide, in whatever way we can, a degree of support, encouragement and resources. The incredible donations we have received have certainly helped us meet the unmet needs of many.
I hope you enjoy reading the news below and I look forward to hearing any feedback or questions that you may have. For further information about Avalon please look at our website www.avaloncentre.org.au
Finally I would like to extend my sincere thanks for all the support that has been offered to Avalon over the past few months. This has included financial donations, volunteers, donations of material goods for the furnishings of our homes, networking and much more.
Please take care, keep healthy and safe, and let’s look after each other .
Thank you,
Deborah Holmes
Centre Co-ordinator
Avalonian Gazette
Avalon Homes for the Homeless
For those of you on Facebook, you will be aware of the good news that we have tenants for our 3rd property for Avalon Homes For The Homeless. They are a young couple, referred to us by Cornerstone, who have been living on the streets for the past 2 years. We are confident that they will take this opportunity to help turn their lives around and also regain the custody of their 14 month old baby girl. It is so good to be able to share an uplifting story. A huge thank you to all the donors of furniture and fittings, and also for those who worked so hard in making our flat into a home.
I am thrilled to be able to share some exciting news, that thanks to a recent donation from a very generous benefactor, we are now looking for our 4th property!! This unexpected donation came from someone who had viewed our video of Avalon Homes for the Homeless and shared our vision (https://youtu.be/6SRhsMJ1hTg) They wanted to be involved with changing the lives of people who are sleeping rough in our community and help reduce the rate of Homelessness in Australia. A huge thank you goes out to this generous Donor.
We are still going out distributing clothing and bedding (and now food) to those who are sleeping rough in the community. The Homelessness services have been cut drastically and so we believe our support is even more important. It is vital we keep operating as long as feasibly possible. Needless to say, we are taking all the necessary precautions to keep volunteers and recipients safe. This includes frequent use of sanitiser, wipes, disinfectant sprays, gloves and masks and a strict adherence to social distancing at all times. We have had to limit the service we offer but the important thing is we are continuing to provide a much-needed essential service in the community.
With the current restrictions, we can no longer operate our Day with Avalon trips on Tuesdays. We are making regular contact with the participants of this programme as they are feeling very isolated during this time. The Drop-In will remain open on Mondays to give the opportunity of any people who are homeless or in need, to be able to come to the Centre for clothing, bedding and/or food. We have alerted other services to share this information with their client/visitors etc. With so many services and organisations closing, we believe it is extremely important for us to continue to remain open and available.
Clothes sorting still has to go on as the donations keep coming. A reduced volunteer workforce has made it a lot more challenging but we are very grateful for everyone who is thinking of us and donating men’s clothing, shoes, backpacks and bedding.
I have been asked by many how they can help Avalon and the people we support. Some of the ways include:
- Volunteering
- Material donations
men’s clothing, shoes, bedding and Backpacks - Financial donations
keep the buses on the road, buy new underwear etc etc! - Spread the word of Avalon
to possibly attract new donors - Sponsorship
Help towards buying our 5th home for Avalon Homes For the Homeless - Share any new ideas, thoughts, inspirations or feedback
we always welcome new ways we can develop
April 2020