A group of TAFE students are hosting a Homelessness Awareness Community event at SCU Goodman Plaza this Wednesday 9 August for Homelessness Week.
The small class of students who are currently studying a cert IV in Community Services at Ballina TAFE, are trying to raise awareness of, and highlight the complexities surrounding, the issues that many individuals, youth, children and families are now facing.
One of the students, Brendan Deegan, told The Echo that as part of the course, the group are studying a unit about working with people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. ‘As this unit coincides with Homelessness Week our class came up with the idea to host a small event to raise awareness of the homelessness issues in our region.
Highlighting the complex issues
‘We would love to highlight the complex issues individuals and families in our region are experiencing.
‘The homelessness issue in our community has been exacerbated by the recent floods.
‘We believe this is an important issue that needs addressing in our community and beyond.’
The group’s aim is not only to raise awareness, but also to gather signatures on a petition to send to parliament to address homelessness in Australia.
‘We will have a stall set up for the day at the Southern Cross University Lismore Campus Goodman Plaza,’ said Deegan. ‘We’d love peple to come down and have a chat, fold an origami house and sign the petition.
‘We will also be providing information about services that are available to help in the local area.’
For more information about the event, visit the Facebook page.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
