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A hot shower. Clean clothes. A warm meal. A friendly face.
For people doing it tough, these can be the first steps towards rebuilding stability.
Those simple but vital supports are now available through Young’s new Vinnies drop-in centre, officially opened during Homelessness Week after years of collaboration between local organisations.
St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/Goulburn chief executive officer Lucy Hohnen said the centre represented far more than a building.
“Today is about much more than opening a building,” Ms Hohnen said.
“It’s about opening a door — a door to support when someone’s struggling, a door to connection when someone feels isolated and a door to practical help before a situation becomes a crisis.”
The welcoming, low-barrier space allows people experiencing hardship to access meals, computers, shower and laundry facilities, and connections to housing, financial, mental health and other support services.
People using the shower can also access toiletries, towels and fresh underwear, with plans to add further laundry facilities and heating.
Ms Hohnen said Vinnies was increasingly supporting people who had never expected to need assistance, including working families, older people and young people facing rising costs and unexpected hardship.
She paid tribute to Vinnies Western Region Regional Support Leader Sharon McCoy whose leadership and dedication had been instrumental in bringing the project to life.
“Your commitment to the Young community and all the work you’ve put into this has been enormous,” she said.
Hilltops Community Hub manager Naomi Peters said the opening followed more than eight years of efforts to establish local showering facilities.
“We’ve been trying desperately to get a showering facility for, I want to say, eight-plus years, and we haven’t been able to do that,” Ms Peters said.
“By getting together and pooling all of our resources, staffing and ideas, we’re absolutely wrapped that it has culminated in this centre.”
Young Crisis Accommodation Centre manager Kerri Palmer said the centre would fill a significant gap in local support.
Until now, people experiencing homelessness in Young had nowhere they could shower or wash and dry their clothes free of charge.
She recalled one man sleeping rough who recently had to travel to Wombat simply to access shower facilities.
“For many of us, having a shower and being able to wash and dry our clothes are everyday things that we take for granted,” she said.
The centre will operate under a “no wrong door” approach, ensuring anyone seeking help is welcomed, listened to and connected with the support they need.
The project was brought to life through a partnership between Vinnies, Young Crisis Accommodation Centre, Hilltops Community Hub, Wellways, Argyle Housing and Marymead CatholicCare.
Hilltops Council Mayor Brian Ingram said the centre reflected Young’s strong community spirit and demonstrated what could be achieved through shared purpose.
While the centre was officially opened during Homelessness Week, those involved hope its lasting impact will be measured in quiet moments — a hot shower after a cold night, freshly washed clothes, a warm drink and the reassurance that, when life becomes difficult, there is a place to turn.