Lotus Support & Counselling Services

Help needed please!
We are seeking donations of Supacoat or Pedigree, wet or dry food for a participant's dogs please. They are currently in hospital and concerned for the wellbeing of the pets being fed poor quality food. If you have any spare dog food, or maybe a supermarket voucher, we would appreciate your help to help this person and their precious pets. THANK YOU 🪷 🙏

Send a message to learn more

Reflecting on the day at Lotus yesterday, and with a different participant from our previous post, it occurred to me that we may well have saved a life! Well done to the entire team whose combined efforts of counselling support, research, advocacy, care, and transport ensured the participant was delivered into the care of hospital where we hope they received the care needed.

It was very disappointing however, to once again experience the gaps in our mental health system that leaves people vulnerable to su***de. This person yesterday was declined care with one service due to the complexity of their situation. Surely this would actually highlight the immediacy of their needs?
Another service responded saying that intake would be undertaken in 2 - 3 weeks, really!!!

Another delivery safely executed!
Every service has safety procedures and these can sometimes be limiting to the needs of participants.
We received a call from the Rangers for help to transport one of Mandurahs most beloved characters, a little under the weather today. With the help of his mate we bundled him into the car, collected Maccas for his dinner before dropping him home where a neighbour was quick to help him out of the car and delivered him safely inside.
This is not standard procedure for Lotus either but after exhausting all familiar contacts this person would otherwise be still outside in the wet and cold. Sometimes we need to weigh up possible risks against potential harm and take steps needed to ensure the safety and wellbeing of another. We love you dear man, enjoy your dinner and sleep well 🪷

📣Do you want to join the AtoZ Team?
We are partnering with Accordwest for the Bunbury Zero Project, and we are looking for a passionate and dedicated Place-Based Zero Project local community coordinator to help us drive real change in the community.
If you have a strong commitment to social justice, experience in community engagement, and a drive to end homelessness, we want to hear from you!

https://www.seek.com.au/job/78618519?ref=search-standalone&type=standout&origin=jobTitle =e9678a032890b5ae2334d55d7533551b1fea4868

Happy birthday to our remarkable leader! May your day be filled with joy, love, and endless celebration!

We are excited to announce that Lotus Support & Counselling Services is taking part in selling tickets for the Bendigo Bank Community Raffle. This is your chance to win big, with an incredible $15,000 up for grabs as the top prize!

And guess what? One of our very own from Lotus won the $15,000 earlier this year - so you might be next!

Tickets are $5 each, and 100% of the proceedings go directly to support our programs.

To purchase tickets, please contact us directly. Don't miss your chance to win!

Please call us at 0491 640 320 or send us a message on Facebook.

📣 URGENT DONATION CALL OUT 📣

We have a family in need of a 10-person tent and a mobile phone. While a 10-person tent is ideal, several smaller tents can also be a big help. ⛺️📱

If you can assist with either of these items, please contact us as soon as possible. Your support will make a significant impact to their lives. 🙏🏻

Please call us at 0491 640 320 or send us a message on Facebook.

Sending a huge acknowledgment to our community for their generosity: to those who continue to make beanies, to Red Cross Mandurah Peel, and to Vinnie.
Every donation helps us to help others and we hear their gratitude daily. Thank you 🙏

📣Upcoming Volunteer Training 📣

We still have spots available for those eager to volunteer. Whether you want to make a difference in the community or gain valuable experience, this could be the perfect role for you!

Located in Mandurah WA, we offer outreach support, advocacy, and fee-free counselling for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and disadvantage.

🗓Training Dates:

- September 10, 2024 - 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

- September 17, 2024 - 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

- September 24, 2024 - 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

- October 1, 2024 - 9:00 AM - 4:00 PM

Attendance of all training sessions is required to be eligible to volunteer.

To register your interest or for more information, please contact:
📞 0491 640 320
📧 [email protected]

Please register your interest by 3rd of September, 2024 to secure your spot.

We look forward to hearing from you! 🪷

Congratulations to Hanna on winning the Lotus Hamper Raffle! 🎉

A special thank you to Bena, our Masters of Counselling student, for generously donating the hamper.

We appreciate everyone who participated and supported this event. Your involvement makes a difference!🪷

What a fantastic turn out for Homelessness Day in Mandurah yesterday!

It was so wonderful to see our community come together to raise awareness and support individuals experiencing homelessness. 🏠

This free event feautured:

🎨 face painting

🤲 stress ball making

✂️ hair cuts

🧥 distributing clothes, blankets, toiletries, and staple food items

💡information about available support services

🌟 and more!

A big thank you to everyone who joined us and contributed to making the event a success!💜🪷

Our outreach team are out and about in Mandurah today! If you spot us around town, don’t hesitate to come say hi.

Whether you’re in need of toiletries, assistance, or just a friendly chat, we're here to help and support you. See you around! 🪷

Last Friday, our volunteer Franklin, student Amandeep, and intern Seoyoung attended Passages to contribute a meaningful painting on a tent for Homelessness Day.

All participating organisations were asked to represent what it feels like to be homeless or to add elements that would offer help and hope.

Everyone did an outstanding job, creating a powerful and heartfelt piece. 👏

We look forward to seeing the contributions from other organisations and continuing our collective effort to raise awareness and support for those experiencing homelessness. 🪷

We are grateful for the kind donations from Socks For Cooper, which originally came from Westside Kickboxing Mandurah. Your generosity means so much to us and those we support.

Thank you!🪷

Loyal.

I was surprised with the arrival of a box full of donations. The box was originally for Westside kickboxing Mandurah.

Their gym had closed, but they had still remembered us. I appreciate their thoughtfulness and loyalty.

Those who attended the gym , had kindly donated 6 boxes toothpaste, 2 boxes sanitary items, 4 tooth brushes, 40 pairs of new socks.

These will go to Lotus Support & Counselling Services, who help with individuals and families who are homeless, couch surfing and living on the streets.

This is a great start to our collection, please put together your hand and paws to thank those who donated. Thank you so much.

Lots of love
Cooper 🐾
🙏🧡🧦 4🐕

Fact or Myth? 🧐

That is a fact! Did you get it correct? ✅

The definition of homelessness is
when a person does not have suitable
accommodation alternatives they are considered
homeless if their current living arrangement:

- is in a dwelling that is inadequate;

- has no tenure, or if their initial tenure is
short and not extendable; or

- does not allow them to have control of, and
access to space for social relations (ABS
2012).

This means you don’t have to be rough sleeping to be considered experiencing homelessness.

According to the 2021 Census, homelessness takes in many forms:

🛌 24% are rough sleeping

🏠17% are in supported accomodation

🛏 7% are in boarding houses

🛋 22% are couch surfing

👥 30% are overcrowded

If you or someone you know is experiencing homelessness in any form, contact Lotus Support & Counselling Services 🪷

Lotus Support & Counselling Services are proud to announce that we will be attending Homelessness Awareness Day alongside other community service organisations to collaborate for this important cause. 🪷

We encourage anyone who wants to contribute to donate items to Coast Live. For a full list of needed items, please visit Coast FM’s website.

Coast FM's Winter Appeal for Homelessness Awareness Day 2024 You can drop of donations between 8:30am and 5pm weekdays.

Did you know? 🌿🌱☘️

You don’t have to do your counselling session in our office. We offer the option to hold your session in our beautiful, confidential atrium located in our building when the sun shining. ☀️🌞

If you love the sound of water flowing, watching fish, and being surrounded by plants, this could be perfect for you!

Wherever you feel most comfortable, we are here to adapt to your needs. Your comfort is our priority🪷

At Lotus Support and Counselling, we believe everybody should have a choice of where and how they live, and homelessness should never be someone’s last or only choice.

If you see someone sleeping rough in Mandurah and it’s surrounding, please reach out to us. We’re here to help connect individuals with the appropriate assistance to get them back on their feet.

What we offer:

🌟 Referrals to other services including where to access showers and community kitchen

🌟 Assistance with completing forms such as joining the housing list

🌟 Toiletries, blankets, and clothing when in stock

🌟 Transportation to appointments

🌟 Advocacy to ensure their voices are heard

🌟 A compassionate ear and more!

Together, we can make a significant impact on the lives of those in our community who needs it most.
For more information and to stay updated on our efforts, visit our website and follow us on social media.

Save and share this post for when you or someone you know might need it. 💜

✨Ever thought about volunteering? ✨

Whether you want to make a difference in the community or gain valuable experience, this could be the perfect role for you!

Located in Mandurah WA, we offer outreach support, advocacy, and fee-free counselling for individuals and families experiencing homelessness and disadvantage.

We provide comprehensive training to ensure you’re prepared and ready to make a positive impact. If this sounds like the opportunity you’ve been looking for, contact us today to learn more! 🪷

Happy National NAIDOC week!

This year’s theme chosen by the National NAIDOC Committee, is Keep the Fire Burning! Blak, Loud & Proud. 🔥🔥

Lotus extends respect for First Nation's people, and their elders past, present and emerging. We enjoy living and working on land and waters nurtured by Aboriginal people for so many years.

Can we help each other?

Lotus is collecting items for a garage sale fundraiser, and we hope you might take this as an opportunity to declutter. We are happy to accept your donations of saleable items (please, no junk).

Funds from this, and other events, contributes to our operating costs, as we continue to deliver outreach support for people sleeping rough, and fee-free counselling services for people otherwise unable to access this support.

If you need goods to be picked up, please consider making a contribution to the cost of fuel for that volunteer, otherwise when you make contact, we’ll let you know where to drop your items.

We can be reached at [email protected] or 0491 640 320.

THANK YOU! 😊

Thank you to an anonymous donor of these beanies, just waiting on the desk this morning when we arrived. They were gratefully received by some of Mandurah’s rough sleepers 🪷

This is a very proud moment! To know we have supported our students in achieving their qualification is very satisfying. Of course we also benefit from their time, skills and dedication. Thank you, and congratulations Prashant Rijal on achieving your Bachelor of Community Service! We are very lucky to have you on the team of volunteers now 🪷💕

Well that was a nice visit from Charlotte the Curious Cat today! 🐈

Join our fabulous team of volunteers and make a difference in our community 🪷

As we continue to build on the already amazing team of volunteers, you are invited to learn more about our work, and the possibility of joining us in working for the benefit of people experiencing homelessness and disadvantage.
Please call 0491 640 320, email [email protected] or send a Direct Message for more information.
Our next Volunteer Training is now scheduled for July 3, 10, 17, 24 and we welcome your expression of interest.
Check us out, we can’t wait to hear from you!

Please come buy a sausage in a bun at Greenfields Bunnings tomorrow.
With the long weekend and good weather forecast for tomorrow it is a perfect opportunity to get some odd jobs taken care of around the home.
And of course, while you’re there please support this fundraiser for Lotus Support & Counselling Services, working in our community for people experiencing homelessness and disadvantage.
Please share this with family and friends! Thank you 🪷🙏💕