blueprint
australian industry trade college
an income for himself and then get back. Now he’s moved out and he’s on his own feet.” Helen’s Haven is the reason there are a lot of good news stories like this. “This centre is about helping people in a wholistic wrap around support… I love the idea of having young people here helping out and working, seeing what it is that we do and getting a broader understanding of the world around us,” says Steve. “Everybody who comes into Goodna Street Life whether they are from the AITC or a volunteer, every small gesture adds up to something amazing.” It’s the first time the AITC has been here and Steve says they’ve helped the Haven look “inviting and homely.” Being involved is a way to recognise “that they can make a contribution and change the world.” “Our mantra is we teach people how to take pride in themselves and with that little bit of self-respect and self-worth they can overcome anything.”
N
04
DECEMBER
2021
Helen Youngberry set up Goodna Street Life in 2015. She was attending the Footprint in the Park and wanted to do more. Helen wanted to try and get people off the street and give them extra support so she set up Goodna Street Life. It was always her vision where she would set up W a place the full wrap-around I S DtoOprovide M support people would need to escape homelessness or crisis. Helen’s Haven is culmination of hard work from volunteers and the team for over five years. The old Baroona Hotel has been converted into a space where the team can provide crisis accommodation, drug and alcohol counselling, mental health support, food aid and material aid to help people overcome the obstacles of accessing life that a lot of people might not understand.
