I was recently invited by my good friend Lisa from the Tivoli Drive In, to an evening event where I met with the Queensland Social Enterprise Council (QSEC). After a little socializing I was invited to sit down and learn a little about Goodna Street Life and their broader mission. After listening to their presentation I promised the enterprising young gentlemen (Kerryn) that I would go out for breakfast on a Sunday morning. Coincidentally, this weekend my wife, Sharon, had arranged to meet up with a school friend from NSW who was in the area so we decided to catch up at Helens Haven for breakfast.
Of course, Sharon ordered the Canadian Breakfast (not hard to see why with pancakes, bacon and maple syrup), and I ordered the big breakfast – with extras (all in the name of charity, of course!). At this point I learned that the venue will also happily make a vegetarian version of the big breakfast too.
You see, what a lot of people don’t know, is that if you go and have a meal at Helens Haven, then the proceeds of your meal go towards assisting homeless people in the area. Breakfast is served between 8 and 10am on Sunday.
After breakfast and a nice hot cappuccino, I left the girls to catch up while Kerryn showed me around some of the “behind the scenes” areas. He showed me the food bank and where wet packs are prepared and stored, and he also showed me the “pods”, which I have to say I was rather intrigued by. Pods are secure sleeping quarters and as you can see, they are secured by a combination lock and have solar panels which can be
used to charge a phone. These are used to provide short term accommodation for those sleeping rough. Not only do they provide a safe place to sleep, also in the same complex you can find bathroom and laundry facilities. Goodna Street Life is also working on becoming more self-sufficient and giving people something to focus on by developing a garden and keeping chickens.
One of the other enterprises within the complex is the Haven Hair Salon where you can, by appointment, get a cut and style and get a little pampering with a pedicure service. This is open to the public and again, the proceeds from your visit to the salon goes towards helping the homeless.
This is a local organisation who very much rely on the support of the general public and, if you would like to know more (and believe me – there is so much more), then jump on their website https://goodnastreetlife.org.au/ or start off by going and enjoying a hearty breakfast. (You will find them in the old Weeroona Hotel at Goodna).
Oh and by the way, you will be interested to note that breakfast for two, including coffees and the extras, was $35.00.
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