By Jonty Ralphsmith
A Greater Dandenong organisation assisting the homeless and marginalised is celebrating its 30-year milestone.
Cornerstone Contact Centre, based in James St, Dandenong, provides food support and social connection to those in need in the municipality.
CEO Naomi Patterson said the centre fosters a family-like atmosphere which has led to people returning for well in excess of a decade in some cases.
Among the activities on offer are cooking, art, creative writing and community gardening as Cornerstone seeks to find interesting ways to enhance interaction and build quality relationships.
But Ms Patterson also emphasised the role that Cornerstone plays in helping people living in difficult circumstances make sustainable improvements to their lives.
“It is really important to us that we are not enabling people to remain in the same situation but actually equipping them to grow,” she said.
We have a social worker and partner with other agencies such as mental health support and outreach workers and we make sure, through relevant referrals, we are helping people transition from a place of reliance on support to being more sustainable, independent and self-sufficient.
“We want Cornerstone to be somewhere people feel safe and welcomed but also for people that have more options open to them and have a lot more capacity, it is really addressing that and making sure we have pathways in place as well, and if there are people who come along who are lonely and need social connection, having programs which help build that social connection is also part of what we do.”
Having been involved with Cornerstone for three years, Ms Patterson said the challenge of Covid-19 epitomised the organisation.
“A highlight was seeing how beautifully our team responded to the food crisis during Covid-19,” she said.
“We have an incredible team, incredible volunteers and staff and to see how well a very small organisation was able to respond to a real large need in the area was a testament to the strength of our team.”
On any given day, Cornerstone generally assists 60-70 people with food support and pastoral care.
Cornerstone was established when local Barbara Siddall saw the rate of homelessness in Greater Dandenong and wanted to respond.
A Gala Night on Friday 26 August will be held celebrating the 30-year milestone.
