The Port Macquarie Hastings Homelessness Collective, of which the Parish’s Youth & Community Hub is part, was named ‘Community Group of the Year’ at this year’s Australia Day award. The ceremony held at the Glasshouse on Friday 26 January 2024.

Port Macquarie Hastings Homelessness Collective is a coalition of services, agencies and other providers who partner together to address the growing and changing nature of homelessness in our community. The Collective aims to fill any gaps between government and social services and to help people when they have nowhere else to go.

This collaborative group of local services provides support for nearly 50 people doing it tough in the local community through ‘Our Place’, which runs fortnightly at the Parish’s Youth & Community Hub in Horton Street.

Anyone who finds themselves without a home for whatever reason can access support and link up with the services they need at ‘Our Place’. It offers help with clothes, food, laundry, showers, phone charging, and haircuts; Centrelink enquiries, tenancy and housing advice, legal information, advice and advocacy; mental health support, social support over a cuppa, breakfast or lunch; and referrals to other services.

The Collective, in response to the receiving the honour, said on its Facebook page, “It is a huge honour to be recognised for our hard work and humbling to be in the running with other community groups who also do amazing work in our community. As they say, “it takes a village” and ours is awesome! Thank you again to all the local businesses and people who help us with the work we do”.

Anne O’Brien, who is Deputy CEO (Mission, People and Culture) at St Agnes’ Catholic Parish, congratulated the Port Macquarie Hastings Homelessness Collective on being awarded ‘Community Group of the Year’ saying it was a well-deserved recognition of how communities can achieve more by working together.

“The Port Macquarie Hastings Homelessness Collective is an amazing group of people from a wide range of different organisations who work so collaboratively together to help those being challenged by homelessness access services, support and basic needs”, says Anne.

“Our Parish is proud to be part of the Collective, providing the venue for ‘Our Place’ at our Youth & Community hub as well as financial support for it through our benevolent charity, the St Agnes’ Foundation.”

“While recognising with gratitude the strong community collaboration that makes ‘Our Place’ happen every fortnight, I also want to commend Mick Gilmour and the team at our Youth Hub, from a Parish perspective, for their outstanding commitment to this initiative,” says Anne.

Reflecting a concerning national trend, homelessness is increasing, impacting many different ages and family groups, many of whom are experiencing homelessness for the first time.

‘Our Place’ runs again at St Agnes’ Parish Youth & Community Hub 140 Horton Street Port Macquarie on Thursday 15 and 29 February from 8am -1pm.

If you would like to donate to St Agnes’ Foundation, which is a public benevolent charity established to advance social and/or public welfare (including the relief of poverty, distress and disadvantage) go to the St Agnes’ Foundation appeals page.