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Dining Hall volunteering in 2021

21 April 2021
Two Meals Program staff in PPE handing out takeaway meals

Sacred Heart Mission’s Dining Hall remains closed for sit-down dining until further notice. This is in keeping with most homelessness meals services throughout Melbourne and in line with Victorian COVID safe requirements. It offers the safest possible service to our community.

Our current response is to offer a takeaway meal from 10 am until 1pm. Workers are able to engage with people outside, maintaining our crisis and advocacy response and case management services.

We are as busy as ever and are assisting clients to access wellbeing and mental health services, housing and a range of other opportunities to improve people’s lives.

Owing to the complexity of our client cohort, the standard contact tracing requirements available to the wider community are unable to be implemented. When someone is itinerant, has no phone, no clear contact points, and may have untreated mental health issues, it is almost impossible to provide a safe contact tracing response.

“We are monitoring and reviewing this issue closely each month and are in an ongoing dialogue with the Government and other homelessness services to provide the best possible response.

We would love for the world to return to normal and to get on with business as usual, but for now, we can’t say for certain when we will re-open for seated dining. It may not be until the end of 2021.”

– Chris Middendorp, Manager, Sacred Heart Central