A new space to meet the needs of the community will be launched in Gunnedah on Saturday.
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The Community Wellness Centre is a partnership between Homes North and TurningPoint Church and provides a safe space for locals to meet and mingle, attend events or get into gardening.
It is also an independent space for Homes North clients to hold meetings, forums and social activities.
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The idea was born from a meeting with Homes North tenants who discussed the need for a place they can go that is safe and peaceful, where they can have a cuppa, and hold meetings, forums and social activities.
"It's to meet the needs of the community because there are so many marginalised and needy people in the community, and Homes North highlights those," TurningPoint's Kim Gibson said.
"We're supporting them in any way we can."
More than $45,000 from the Social Housing Community Improvement Fund has gone into raised garden beds and a covered outdoor area, and already the space is being utilised by Jobs Australia, Family and Community Services, Gunnedah PCYC and Gunnedah Family Support.
The project has been 18 months in the making, with "everyone's hands to the plow".
"This has all been locally sourced and a lot of hands-on labour by volunteers," Mrs Gibson said.
"The whole wellness centre is really a culmination of help from the community and the opening is a public acknowledgement of the contributions made by local organisations."
The project complements the church's existing playground and new kitchen, which can be rented out.
"It's been such a fantastic facility for the community and will continue to be so," Mrs Gibson said.
The kitchen is a major milestone for the church, which was making do with scant facilities on an outdoor verandah with a sink and no plumbing.
With the help of a Gunnedah Shire Council community grant, the verandah was enclosed and outfitted with a flat pack kitchenette and oven, plumbing, and floor coverings. The council is among the local organisations that have already made use of the space.
The kitchen is stage one of a much larger project, which is estimated to cost about $18,500 and was approved by council in 2015.
Changes will include a marked car park, new front entrance with a wheelchair ramp, a creche room and storage space.
The new communal garden with Homes North is just one part of the centre's 10-year vision for the land which includes a food bank, English classes, and two homes for refugees.
- The official opening of the Community Wellness Centre will be held at 12.30pm on Saturday at TurningPoint Church at 37 South Street. All are welcome.
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