Help reopen Fletcher Street Cottage, a place for Byron's most vulnerable.

It's easy to forget your troubles in Byron Bay.

Just take a stroll on the world-famous beaches or go sit in the nearby world-heritage rainforest and it's almost impossible to worry about anything, except maybe what restaurant to visit next. It's the reason millions of people visit every year.  

But the reality is that the Byron Shire has NSW's highest population of people sleeping rough outside Sydney CBD with numbers on the rise, and an estimated 400 women sleeping in cars, some of them with children.

Responding to this growing crisis, Byron Community Centre and Creative Capital (the team behind Habitat) have joined forces to reopen Fletcher Street Cottage in the heart of town, as a hub for Byron's most vulnerable. The project is being run without any government support, so we need your help to make it happen.

Providing assistance with meals, mental health, physical health, legal aid, plus other basics like a safe place to have a shower or do some washing, Fletcher Street Cottage is a much-needed service being launched at a critical time.

"Byron's always been amazing at coming together and protesting. We're very good at saying no to things. Fletcher Street Cottage is an opportunity for the community to come together and say yes, we want to look after everyone in town." Fraser Williams-Martin, Creative Director of Creative Capital. 

"Fletcher Street Cottage will be a springboard for people to get the right support from a range of professionals: case workers, mental health teams, health practitioners, drug and alcohol workers and specialist homelessness services; the ultimate goal will be to house people with successful and manageable tenancies according to each person's requirements and capacity." - Cherie Bromley, Community Programs Manager

If you've ever holidayed in Byron, surfed, got married, partied, started a business, lost yourself, healed yourself, fallen in love, purchased an investment property, whale watched, meditated, written a novel, kayaked with dolphins, or even just passed through this incredible place, it's time to give something back. 

Please help by making a tax-deductable donation today. Any amount, large or small, takes us a step closer to our target, and towards reopening this much-needed one stop shop for those most in need.

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Fletcher Street Cottage is being reopened without any government support

We've already secured an amazing group of local professionals, from architects and planners to builders and engineers, who are generously donating their time for free to help design and consult on the project. 

But we need your help to get works underway and doors open by the end of 2021. Your kind tax-deductible donation will go towards renovating the Cottage from the ground up. 

(Artist representation, DFJ Architects)

Renovations to include:

• Bulding a commercial kitchen and adding in showers
• Fitting out the cottage with lockers, furniture and practical equipment
• Cosmetic upgrades and structural improvements
• Turning the front and backyard into a safe and welcoming refuge for patrons, with seating areas and veggie gardens

This is a substantial project and homelessness in the Shire is a deeply engrained issue. Our goal is to raise $250k, but we could certainly do with more - to fund the myriad of services at the centre and keep the lights on long into the future. 

If you'd like to help out in a big way or make a substantial donation, please get in touch! We'd love to chat in person, offer you a tour, and discuss what an incredible difference your contribution will make. Reach out at [email protected] or call Creative Capital on 0477 403 197.

Partners

This project is being brought to you by Byron Community Centre, Creative Capital and Habitat Byron Bay in collaboration with a core group of amazing local businesses, who are donating their time for free to get Fletcher Street Cottage off the ground.

Please see our full list of partners here: www.fletcherstreetcottage.com.au/partners 

We've also secured funding for a Homelessness Projects Manager, to head up operations at the Cottage. A role that's being generously funded by The Goninan Foundation. 

Thankyou for your support. Together we can reopen the Cottage and make a real difference to the most vulnerable in our community ♡

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