By Theresia Titus
Right to Life Association WA in collaboration with Holy Spirit Choir and Street Ministry, has last month opened a female-only drop-in centre for homeless persons called The Lifehouse.
Located on Bennett St, East Perth, the centre is open from 10am to 2pm on Fridays and “is a place where homeless women can find shelter, security, friendship, pastoral and spiritual support”.
Johanna Banks, The Lifehouse Coordinator, stated that “at least half a dozen” have shown interests to visit.
“Within the homeless population, women are especially vulnerable to experiences such as violence, sexual abuse, and partner abuse,” she said.
“This vulnerability is increased by the fact that there are many more men than women living on the street, meaning that the particular needs of women are often overlooked.
“However, as far as we are aware, there are no support services which focus specifically on homeless women and their particular needs.
“The Lifehouse exists to reach out specifically to homeless women, to be a place where they can feel safe and cared for, and within that environment be empowered to create a better life for themselves,” she added.
According to the 2016 Census of Population and Housing, more than 116,000 people were experiencing homelessness in Australia and about 9000 were in WA.
From the 9000 homeless people on Census night in 2016, 3778 (42 per cent) were female.
Ms Banks hoped The Lifehouse would aid “women living on the street to find the fullness of life”.
“The Lifehouse will have a particular focus on supporting women who are pregnant and homeless by providing material assistance in the form of lunch and takeaway food, shower and laundry services, and distribution of ‘care packs’ with toiletries and other personal items.
“[They only] need to turn up and then we will take it from there, assess what their needs are as well as how best we can help them. There are currently no limits to how much someone can access The Lifehouse.
“We believe that every life has dignity and value, and is worth protecting and promoting. This means that we believe that every life, especially the most vulnerable, is worth caring for and investing in,” she continued.
“We don’t just attend to the physical and material needs of the women who visit, but emotional and spiritual ones as well, treating them as a person to be loved, not merely a mouth to be fed or a problem to be solved,” Ms Banks expressed.
Women-only volunteering roles are open at The Lifehouse and those who are interested can contact Right to Life Association WA President Steve Klomp on 0417 184 789, Holy Spirit Choir and Street Ministry Founder Rebecca Kobayashi on 0432 980 608, or by emailing: hscasm@gmail.com.
Visit www.righttolifewa.com.au for details of how to donate to The Lifehouse.