Homeless support service Orange Sky is expanding to Bundaberg.
Data from the 2021 Census has revealed that homelessness in the town has increased by 17.9% since 2016.
The increase in homelessness has resulted in heightened demand on support services in the region, being one of the key reasons Orange Sky has set their sites on Bundaberg, aiming to help support the growing number of locals experiencing hardship.
With service expansion plans always at the forefront of Orange Sky’s mission to help more communities in need, Orange Sky Co-Founder and CEO Lucas Patchett says that the organisation is really proud and excited to be able to support the Bundaberg community.
“With the rise in cost of living and the current housing crisis, we know Aussies are doing it really tough right now, so it’s never been more important for Orange Sky to launch more services and help more communities in need,” Mr Patchett says.
“As we have seen throughout the latest ABS Census data, the need for support services in the Bundaberg region is increasing. Through the support of the Minderoo Foundation providing partial funding for the service, and working hand-in-hand with the Angel’s Community Group and the community, we are excited to launch a new Orange Sky service to support our friends doing it tough in the region.”
Our community will welcome a different laundry asset type, a “Laundry Pod”.
The laundry pod is a standalone structure fit with two washing machines and two dryers, with shifts operated by a team of local volunteers, carrying out the same trusted and free service that can be accessed by anyone in need.
Orange Sky Regional Coordinator Megan Collins says Bundaberg is the perfect fit for the laundry pod service model.
“We have a core value of “giving things a crack” to create ways to drive impact and support communities that need a hand as quickly as possible,” Mrs Collins says.
“Supporting the local Bundaberg community has been on our radar for a while, with the laundry pod concept presenting the perfect service fit based on the needs of the community.”
The Orange Sky laundry pod will be operated out of the Angel’s Mini Mart, enabling access to multiple resources and services in one place.
Jasmine Tasker, Operations Manager of Angels Community Group says “with the increase in homelessness in Bundaberg over the past 12 months, the demands on all services have increased tremendously.
“We believe many of our community members will benefit from pulling up an orange seat, and will get a lot more out of it than just doing their laundry.
“We know the pressure put on our one washing machine and dryer in Angels Support Centre and welcome the helping hand Orange Sky will give us as well.”
The Orange Sky service in Bundaberg is set to officially launch by the end of October, 2023.
Members of the community doing it tough or in need of support can head down to the Angels Mini Mart every Monday from 4pm – 6pm, Tuesday from 8am – 10am and Thursday from 3pm – 5pm to have a yarn with the Orange Sky Volunteers whilst they have their washing done at no cost.
Orange Sky are also encouraging community locals who wish to volunteer to support those in their community who are doing it tough to head to orangesky.org.au/volunteer to sign up.
