Our programs include:

• Meals Plus
• Family Services
• Women's Services
• Youth Services
• Men's Services
• Community Visitors Scheme

Meals Plus
Over the past 15 years our Meals Plus service has evolved to become the primary entry point for the homeless, and those at risk of homelessness, within the Parramatta CBD enabling them to access a range of services provided by Parramatta Mission and its partners.

Meals Plus operates 5 days per week providing breakfast and lunch as well as services to clients including medical, legal, chiropractic, optometry and podiatry clinics. Centrelink provides an outreach service to clients two days per week. Access to financial counselling is also available.

55,000 meals will be served from Meals Plus during the next 12 months.

For more information on Meals Plus, please contact Michael Wright - michael.wright@parramattamission.org.au

Family Services
Parramatta Mission is one of the community partners in the Cumberland/Prospect LGA Brighter Futures program. With Wesley Mission being the lead agency. We work very closely in partnership delivering services to families who have been identified as having additional support needs in the family home. Some of these issues include domestic violence, health, and or are new arrivals to Australia and have no family or social supports. Referrals to the program come directly through the DOCS Helpline and non-government agencies can also do a community referral. Our case then contact the families via telephone, home visit or mail. Once the family accepts the offer to participate in the program they are then worked very closely with over a 2 year period. The Brighter Futures program in the Cumberland/Prospect LGA now has the capacity to work with 90 + families and Parramatta Mission is very excited to be a part of this program. Parramatta Missions case managers have a capacity to work with 20 families.

Women's Services
The Thelma Brown Cottage Refuge provides accommodation for women and their children who are often fleeing from family violence. For many of the children at the refuge, this program provides vital early intervention, giving them and their mothers the support and skills they need for their lives to develop normally and preventing them from falling into patterns of living which result in youth homelessness.

Kellys Cottages provides medium term supported accommodation to single women who would like to build on their existing knowledge and skills to assist in their transition to independent housing. Kellys Cottages is run in conjunction with the Single Womens Project which aims to break the cycle of homelessness through making education and training more accessible to women in Western Sydney. www.womensweb.pbwiki.com

For more information on our Womens Services, please contact Nicky Zaouk - nicky.zaouk@parramattamission.org.au

Youth Services
Parrahouse provides crisis x. Staff of Parrahouse can help homeless teenagers assess their situation and reconnect them with their parental home if it is appropriate or help them find long term alternatives if they are at risk.
Residents of Parrahouse are also assisted to access support for the many issues they may have including drug and alcohol and mental health issues.
Referrals can be made on 9633 5429 24 hours per day seven days per week. Parrahouse does not operate a waiting list; however support to find alternate accommodation when Parrahouse is unable to accommodate a young person can be offered by staff if required.

Koompartoo Mays Hill is a Transitional housing service for young people, aged 17-24, for up to two years. The majority of the residents of this program are exiting from higher level support services and many have never lived independently before. Young people who reside in this program are assisted to gain the skills to successfully maintain a lease in the private rental market. Residents are also given assistance in job seeking, obtaining and maintaining educational placement and life skills.

Residents of this program hold a standard tenancy agreement and are responsible for paying rent, personal costs including food and utilities costs. Entry to this program takes up to 2 weeks when a vacancy is available. Referrals can be made on 9635 0792. Young people are welcome to place themselves on a waiting list when there are no vacancies.

For more information on Youth Services, please contact Nicky Zaouk - nick.zaouk@parramattamission.org.au

Men's Services
Hope Hostel provides crisis accommodation for homeless men over the age of 18 as well as having support groups, counselling and case management available.

For more information on our Men's Services please contact Michael Wright - michael.wright@parramattamission.org.au

Community Visitors Scheme
The Community Visitors Scheme offers residents in local nursing homes, who may not have regular contact with family or friends, the opportunity of receiving visits from volunteers on a regular basis.

The scheme is funded by the Federal Government, and administered by various churches around the country. Parramatta Mission is responsible for providing visitors to residents in the Parramatta Aged Care Facility. We are currently funded for 15 visitors and it is pleasing to note that we have our full complement at the moment.

Visitors range from all walks of life and are aged from 18 up to people in their 70's. They commit to visiting a specific resident twice per month. The whole idea is that they befriend a person who is isolated by the fact that they have no friends or relatives nearby who can visit them. They often take small gifts for their resident, such as magazines, soaps, lollies etc. but this is not important. The important thing is that they become a friend to the resident who really looks forward to their visit and that they visit regularly.

One resident, Joan*, really looks forward to the visit by her visitor. Whenever any of the members of the visiting team appear, Joan asks, "Is my lady coming today?" She really loves her visitor, who does more than her share of visiting and actually visits every week, however, it is not a requirement to visit so often, but the visitor really enjoys her visits also, and gets a great deal of satisfaction out of visiting and providing friendship to someone who, otherwise, would be quite lonely.

* name of resident changed for privacy reasons