Up to 70 people come through the doors some weekends! A ‘quiet’ week in winter might see 40 people at the centre.
Families come in to pick up a food hamper from Soupz On, connect with services, relax after a long drive or stressful visit, and, most importantly, feel welcome, cared for and valued. And this last bit is what local Cessnock team member David says motivates him.
“Some of these mums and kids have had no one ask how they’re coping. They’ve been doing it all on their own.”
And with the cost of living increasing, David has noticed families appreciating everything we can do for them more than ever.
“Families are more grateful recently. They are even tearing up because of what we are doing for them and that we are there to listen. We give them a coffee, and they relax and share their stories; you can see that it’s tough for many families now.”
Testament to this is the day David opened the centre door on a non-visits day and was surprised to see Kate*, a mum we had been supporting for several years, standing there.
She had made the two-hour drive up from Sydney just to thank him. He recounts she said, “You made my children feel confident and that they belong. You made me feel like I’m part of the community. I just needed to thank you and how much this means to us.”
David was incredibly moved that she’d made such a long trip to tell him how much we had helped.
Over the years we had supported Kate, she and her children’s lives had drastically changed.
David recalls when he first met her she was really struggling. The family had lost their source of income and been through a lot of stress when their dad was incarcerated, and she had no family or community support.
Her mental health was deteriorating, and she was trying to manage it alone.
But the day she walked into the centre, she realised she wasn’t alone.
“I gave her a lot of referrals, things like counselling and other support groups in her local community that she said she had no idea even existed.”
In the years that followed, Kate’s confidence to ask for help grew, and instead of falling through the cracks as too many do, she built a support network around her and her child.
“She told me that knowing SHINE for Kids was at Cessnock had made all the difference to how her family copes with visits and had meant her kids actually wanted to come and keep that critical relationship with their dad going.
She said the children have grown and become more confident, and their dad loves that we are helping the family too and making it easier for their kids to visit them.”
Evidence shows that strong family connection improves children’s well-being and helps them cope with the separation from a parent while in custody. Maintaining the parent-child relationship also benefits families by easing the transition when a parent returns home. And while video visits and phone calls are great, nothing can beat a hug.
Another example of how our Family Centre can be life-changing is Sara’s* story.
David says that one day he noticed a woman who appeared to be very upset walking around the centre grounds with her teenage son and invited her in for a tea and muffin.
That simple act changed everything.
On that first visit, her son didn’t want to be seen crying and waited outside the centre, but Sara did come in, and what followed was a beautiful relationship with our team, volunteers and other families she got to know.
Her son also felt more at ease after the first few weeks and started to come in and relax when they visited. Usually very quiet, David was especially pleased to hear him saying, “What you do here, it’s really good,” on one of these occasions.
“The first week, she picked up a food hamper and told us she really appreciated having somewhere to collect herself before the long drive home.”
“But in the coming weeks, she opened up and shared her whole life story, what had led her family to Australia, what her life had been like and how hard she’d been finding things. She said she’d gone from dreading visits to looking forward to them,” David says.
“We gave her some practical information and connected her with other services, but the best part was that she became part of the community up here.
Every week she’d chat with the other mums, share stories and tips.
“Before this, she’d felt left out and wasn’t confident to talk with others, especially as English was her second language, but she said that feeling valued and seeing us all working so hard to make her and the others comfortable get them resources and tea, had boosted her self-worth and she felt confident approaching people now.”
“The most common comment we get is to keep doing what we’re doing. That makes you feel good; I know I’m helping people.”
Thank you to SOUPZ ON for supporting our Family Centre in Cessnock.
Please, we can’t keep our doors open without your support! Donate today. Every bit counts.
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