Operators of the Fletcher Street Cottage homelessness services charity say a new long-term lease for the central Byron Bay hub has been finalised with the Byron Shire Council.
The council owns the building at 18 Fletcher Street and has leased it to the Byron Community Centre, which operates the cottage services, for a minimum rent since 2021.
Councillors recently voted not only to renew the expiring five-year-lease but to extend it to a fifteen-year licence from 2026.
‘This is a turning point for our team and the people we support,’ Byron Community Centre General Manager Louise O’Connell said in a media release this week.
‘Knowing we have a long-term base gives us the confidence to expand what we offer and to approach funders with a clear and stable vision for the future,’ she said.
Fourteen people work at the cottage with support from 110 volunteers and operational funding drawn from philanthropic donations, government grants and community contributions.
Still no proper funding for essential Byron homelessness services
Speaking on BayFM’s Community Newsroom last week, Ms O’Connell confirmed the centre wasn’t receiving permanent ongoing government funds, contrary to some beliefs expressed in the local community.
Rather, the centre has received ‘one-off’ government grant support, and promises for more as part of recent election campaigns from The Greens.
Volunteers and staff at the hub say the team is focused on meeting growing demand since their opening April 2022, particularly from women and older people in crisis.
They say they have welcomed more than 34,000 visits during that time.
The hub is open Tuesday to Friday from 7am to 12pm, ‘with a vision to reopen on Mondays for Women’s Space,’ the release this week said.
The centre had to reduce operating hours last year owing to a lack of funds.
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