The Castlemaine Safe Space was officially launched with a community celebration at The Salvation Army Hall in Castlemaine last Friday afternoon and began operation this week.
The community were welcomed to the inviting new space with music from members of The Peace Choir, a sausage sizzle and warming homemade soup.
The new space aims to provide a non-clinical drop in space for anyone in the community in emotional distress, experiencing loneliness or suicidal thoughts.
It is a community designed and led, and staffed by trained peer volunteers with lived experience from within our community.
The space has been 18 months in the making and has been created thanks to the dedication of the team from local community group Every Life Matters (ELM), the dedicated Castlemaine Safe Space Working Group, and support from Mount Alexander Shire Council, the Foundation for Rural and Regional Renewal, Central Victorian Primary Care Partnership, and suicide awareness and prevention charity Roses in the Ocean.
Roses in the Ocean general manager Stephen Scott said they were proud to support the local working group in their efforts to establish the new space which will be one of 15 pilot spaces around the country.
“Castlemaine community members who visit the space will find a compassionate response and assistance finding access to services from someone who has lived experience of these issues and who understands,” Mr Scott said.
Every Life Matters (ELM) and Castlemaine Safe Space Working Group member Rachel Stewart thanked each and every one of the working group members for being the “driving force” which made the space a reality.
“There are no appointments, no referrals or assessments and no names. Your details will remain confidential. Once you set foot in the door you will find a listening ear and you will have agency and power over what happens next. It’s your choice,” Ms Stewart said.
“We have seven full trained volunteers ready to hit the ground and another 15 currently undertaking the training,” Ms Stewart said.
Mayor Cr Bill Maltby said the space was so important as it provides a tangible place for anyone struggling to seek support.
“A space like this is working towards a future where every member of our community feels safe, connected, included and valued. It is actively increasing awareness of mental health services and it is breaking down barriers to accessibility,” Cr Maltby said.
HALT founder Jeremy Forbes said he visited similar space in Soho in the UK and is thrilled the Castlemaine Safe Space Working Group had found a way to get this incredible initiative off the ground here in Castlemaine.
“It warms my heart. It is quiet place where people can feel safe, be vulnerable and start those important conversations,” he said.
To close the ceremony a candle of remembrance was lit in honour of all those lost to suicide and the loved ones left behind.
The new space will ‘pop-up’ in two locations weekly at the Castlemaine Senior Citizens Centre in Mechanics Lane Castlemaine (next door to the library) Tuesday evenings from 6pm-8.30pm and at The Salvation Army Hall in Kennedy Street (next to the train station) Saturdays from 1.30pm-4pm.
The first weekly sessions were scheduled for Tuesday evening July 19 and this Saturday July 23. Just look for the Castlemaine Safe Space banners and signage outside each building.