DISADVANTAGED residents across Orange say they want to see a steady flow of reliable people and programs, according to Mission Australia's Codie Campbell, who's determined to deliver the changes.
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In the role of Tenant Participation and Community Engagement facilitator since September, Miss Campbell is heading the 'Have a Chat' sessions in Glenroi and Bowen on a monthly basis - easygoing information workshops to build community knowledge on local service availability.
Eager to find out where gaps needing bridging, meet and greet sessions were firstly hosted in both the Bowen and Glenroi communities, where residents described a lack of commitment from services in the past.
"People said they wanted consistency and they were [rightfully] annoyed with people doing something in their community and then never seeing that person again," Miss Campbell said.
"Once they see I'm there and coming back each month, we'll hopefully get new people and regulars being able to give us feedback on what changes they want, what they want to see and what they want happening in their area."
Miss Campbell says she now wants to "bring the community together" with consistent events and faces to deliver specialised events over two sessions in each suburb.
"So, one week we'll deliver an information session in Bowen and then replicate that same session in Glenroi the following Tuesday," Miss Campbell said.
"Sessions will be on all different topics each month, from health, domestic violence, drug and alcohol, what Centrelink payments different people are eligible for, how to download COVID certificates and so on. They're all themed based on the feedback we've gotten with what people want to know more about."
Orange's Lifeline will then host the June workshop on what local services are available, which will also link with networks surrounding men's mental health supports.
"We're reaching out to specialised services and inviting spokespersons to come along," Miss Campbell said.
"It's a casual setting where people will talk about what the different services are, how to get help when it's needed and where to go to get that."
Miss Campbell also noted restrictions for some with internet access and has been delivering event flyers to mailboxes around the communities.
"Being out in the community is the best way to reach out and have a chat if someone's out the front of their house, for example," she said.
"This is about connecting with everyone, understanding what residents want to see in their own communities and delivering on consistency."
Mission Australia's Have a Chat sessions are delivered from the Bowen Tech Centre at 111 Spring Street and Glenroi's Marang Gunya Community Centre at 8 Oxley Place. Free lunch is provided at the Tuesday workshops, with April's remaining session in Glenroi on April 12 from 11:30am to 1pm.
For more information, search for Codie MA on Facebook or phone 0436 936 291.
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