St Pat’s
I wrote a press release announcing St Patrick’s Community Support Centre (St Pat’s) new management of a lodging house, positioning the organisation as a leader in community housing while highlighting the lived experience of one of the residents.
The brief
When St Pat’s assumed management of a Fremantle lodging house, they needed a press release to communicate this change, reinforce their role in activating housing solutions and weave in a personal resident story to humanise the announcement.
The audience
The local Fremantle community, journalists, politicians and people engaged in public and affordable housing
The voice
Journalistic, positive, and community-minded
Community garden supports 100 Hampton Road residents’ physical and mental health
Brett, a resident of the community housing establishment that provides accommodation for people at risk of homelessness, says tending to his garden has given him a reason to get up in the morning.
100 Hampton Road, which will shortly be under new management by experienced local provider and housing solutions activator, St Patrick’s Community Support Centre (St Pat’s), is home to around 150 tenants. To limit disruption of residents’ lives and homes, community services, staff, and the much-loved community garden will remain the same.
Brett sees 100 Hampton Road as a safe environment for him to address the issues that made him homeless, while the garden gives him purpose.
“It gives me a reason to get out of bed in the morning, both physically and psychologically. I love to see something that I created with my own hands, to get up every day and see the new growth, pull a weed or two, watch the birds and enjoy the sunshine.”
He is grateful to the staff at 100 Hampton Road for helping him to establish the garden, saying, “The staff bend over backwards to try and help you with any of your issues. They give you the freedom to initiate projects like this. They’ve actually funded a lot of this!”
He is looking forward to St Pat’s management, hoping it will lead to more resources to address fellow tenants’ needs.
St Pat’s CEO, Michael Piu, says that supporting residents to pursue their hobbies and create a strong community will be a feature of the new management.
“St Pat’s has supported vulnerable people in Fremantle for over 40 years. We know that providing opportunities for mental, physical and social wellbeing is just as important as providing housing for vulnerable people. Brett’s garden is a fantastic example of what is possible when tenants are given these opportunities.”
Brett keeps the security door to his garden propped open, inviting other residents to bring a cup of coffee and enjoy the sunshine. “And they can pull up a weed or two – or not!” Brett says, laughing.
When asked how the garden had been received by fellow residents, Brett said, “If money was compliments, I’d be a rich man now!”
