Samaritan for homeless men

By Michelle Herbison
VOLUNTEERS for a new drop-in shelter for homeless men are preparing for the centre’s first tenants.
Samaritan House’s Josephine Barnes hoped to open the facility “toward the beginning of July” pending volunteer numbers.
About 16 volunteers “from a variety of backgrounds” visited the house on Monday and 24 on Wednesday to discuss house procedures, she said.
Ms Barnes said Samaritan House, in an undisclosed Newcomb location, would begin providing shelter to between four and six homeless men a night.
She hoped renovations would expand the house to accommodate 20 “guests” by March.
“We’re hoping to make it as homely as possible,” Ms Barnes said.
“Because it’s not funded we’ll be dependent on volunteers, so we want to have as many of them as we can.”
Ms Barnes said Samaritan House would be Geelong’s only crisis housing centre after the closure of similar facilities under St Vincent de Paul and The Salvation Army.
“It’s a new initiative in the area by really concerned people who want to try and help people get off the streets for a respite,” she said.
“We’ll offer a hot shower and a nice comfy bed, a chance to wash their clothes and have a bit of a break from the streets.”
Ms Barnes said guests would secure a bed at the centre through Belmont’s Salvo Connect.
They would be unable to “self-refer” themselves for accommodation, she said.
“If we’re welcoming and the guests are greeted by cheery volunteers’ faces, we won’t have trouble in the house.”