NEARLY 30 people have put their names down to help with the United Safe Space project.
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United Safe Space (USS) was developed by the Bathurst Uniting Church, with the help of an expert advisory group, to offer a practical way to help fight homelessness on a local level.
Homeless men, who have the hardest time finding emergency accommodation, can stay in a designated room in the church precinct.
The service can accommodate a maximum of five men a night, with each given a sleeping mat, bedding and access to food and a toilet.
In order to run the service safely, volunteers are called upon to be available at check-in time and to stay overnight.
USS coordinator Julie Greig said the response from the initial call for volunteers at the end of May has been wonderful, with 27 people indicating their interest.
Some of them still need to complete training and their background checks, but there are enough volunteers to run USS.
"It has been a fabulous response. People have come from other churches and organisations in the community and we've had university students," Ms Greig said.
USS is available for people sleeping rough to utilise now, with the service operating Thursday to Monday nights.
Check-in is open from 6pm to 8pm each night. The room is at the back of the church hall, which can be accessed via a boardwalk that runs between the hall and the Brooke Moore Centre.
“Our volunteers are there every night at the centre and if no one comes they lock up and go home,” Ms Greig said.
She hopes that if anyone knows of a man sleeping rough that they can point them in the direction of the Bathurst Uniting Church.
“We offer a warm, safe space for people so they can come in, have a warm meal, watch some TV, bunk down somewhere warm and in the morning they get a voucher for breakfast,” Ms Greig said.
Anyone looking to find out more about USS or get involved can contact Ms Greig on 0429 344 456.
USS will be trialed in Bathurst throughout winter, finishing up at the end of August.
If the project is deemed successful, the church will look at ways of improving and expanding the service in the future.