Business in Focus: Coast Shelter Posted on October 9, 2018
Coast Shelter is a local innovative charity which was established in 1992 to provide emergency accommodation for homeless families and youth on the Central Coast.
It adopted as its aspirational goal that it would work to end homelessness on the Central Coast.
Over the years it has responded to the ever increasing demands and now managers nine refuges, a Community Centre and two other programmes, one providing education to Central Coast High Schools regarding domestic violence and a support program for women and children escaping domestic violence who cannot be accommodated in any of the three women and children’s refuges.
Coast Shelter is constantly challenged by the numbers of homeless and disadvantaged citizens of Gosford and Wyong, and led by a very experienced and competent Board of Directors, supported by highly skilled staff, over two hundred and fifty volunteers, and an extremely generous community, over one hundred and fifty homeless people are accommodated each night, while more than one thousand people in need of assistance are helped each week.
“With the assistance of Robson Partners, and other local supporters, Coast Shelter has established itself as a leader in providing emergency accommodation in regional New South Wales, and is now recognised for its innovative and entrepreneurial approach to solving the unsolvable problem,” says Laurie.
Assisted by the community and both State and Federal Governments, the past twelve months have seen Coast Shelter increase both its capacity and skills as it strives to meet the needs of our community.
With the recently approved increases in the amount of residential accommodation on the Central Coast, along with the number of new jobs, it is hoped that more of our citizens will be helped out of the poverty cycle and have the opportunity to obtain affordable rental accommodation.
In the next twelve months Coast Shelter looks forward to being able to assist more of our community and to further upskilling its staff to provide support and assistance to the disadvantaged within our community.
