Hope stitched up through project

By Meg Hocking

In 2017, as Melbourne gained media attention for attempts to ‘clean up’ its city in preparation for the Australian Open and summer crowds, St Leonard’s Uniting Church Brighton member Barry Schofield saw an opportunity.

It was while watching a news clip of police ‘moving on’ a group of rough sleepers at Flinders Street Station, that ideas first began to brew for Barry.

“Melbourne, this is not a good look,” a tourist had remarked on the news clip.

But it wasn’t the tourist’s disdain at Melbourne’s response that sent Barry’s mind into a whirl, it was the takeaway coffee cup she clutched.

“If a group of people would each give the cost of a cup of coffee once a week towards a homeless person, it would soon add up to a sizeable amount,” Barry thought at the time.

He shared the idea with his Minister, Rev Kim Cain, and in a matter of months the congregation began their first Coffee Cup Challenge.

The concept of the challenge was simple: ask members of the congregation to donate the equivalent of a cup of coffee once a week, with funds raised going to Uniting Vic.Tas to help meet the many needs of those experiencing homelessness.

Kim suggested the challenge should launch on International Coffee Day, October 1, each year and run through until Pancake Day the following year.

In 2019, Uniting Vic.Tas adopted the Coffee Cup Challenge, encouraging congregations from across both Victoria and Tasmania to participate.

To date, close to $150,000, the equivalent of 30,000 cups of coffee, has been raised to support people experiencing crisis, vulnerability and uncertainty.

Only a few years later, the Coffee Cup Challenge became a crucial source of funding for a brand-new initiative which would provide vital warmth, protection and comfort to Victoria’s rough sleepers.

In Australia, the number of people experiencing homelessness has grown by 5.2 per cent in the past five years, with First Nations people, women and children disproportionately impacted by the housing crisis.

In 2022, Uniting Vic.Tas Emergency Relief Coordinator in Wodonga, Catherine Byrne, decided something urgently needed to be done to support the ever-growing population of rough sleepers in Victoria’s north-east.

“In the past we’ve been able to purchase portable swags, but because of the homelessness problem across Australia, they aren’t obtainable, so the solution is to make them ourselves,” Catherine says.

“Looking for community partnerships to be able to make the swags is not solving a problem, but it gives people dignity that they can have a portable bed on their back and have something warm to sleep in every night.”

But standing in the way of this bright idea was the resources to achieve it.

Already working to grow the Coffee Cup Challenge, Uniting Vic.Tas reached out to Barry to see what could be done.

“Two years ago, Uniting Vic.Tas came to me and said they were looking to get a new project up and running to support those facing homelessness,” Barry says.

“I thought this would be a great initiative for St Leonard’s to get behind.”

With proceeds from their 2023 and 2024 Coffee Cup Challenge, the St Leonard’s congregation was able to contribute $55,000 to what become known as the Ruffy Project.

With funding secured, Uniting Vic.Tas partnered with Carevan Foundation, an organisation which supports the disadvantaged in rural Australia, and Beechworth Correctional Centre, and by December last year the Ruffy Project was launched.

Two men serving time at the Beechworth Correctional Centre, a minimal security prison in north-east Victoria, are now volunteering full-time to produce the swags for the program, with others volunteering one day a week.

The two full-time men were taught by a community volunteer with experience in using industrial sewing machines, and they have learnt how to cut and sew the patterns together and thread the machines, as well as basic mechanical maintenance.

“The reason I’m doing this program is to gain sewing skills, but also to help those who are homeless have somewhere dry and warm to sleep,” says Joe*, one of the full-time volunteers.

“I love doing it.”

A typical week in the workshop sees the men spending two to three days cutting the patterns, using canvas for the swags and seatbelt material for the straps, before forming a production line to start sewing.

The team can now sew one of the waterproof, lightweight canvas and foam mattress swags together in about 15 minutes.

To date, more than 90 swags have been made, with 76 distributed to rough sleepers in Albury, Wodonga, Wangaratta, Bendigo, Footscray and Broadmeadows.

Support for the project is increasing, with generous donations also received from the Beechworth Uniting Church.

“Those who have received the swags have been very happy that such a product exists for homeless folk,” Catherine says.

“They’re always very grateful.”

Currently a summer version of the swag with added fly screens and zips is being developed at the Beechworth Correctional Centre.

There is a strong relationship between homelessness and those in custody, so for many of the men at the correctional centre, this is a cause they relate to on a deeply personal level.

According to the Health of People in Australia’s Prisons 2022 report, more than two in five people reported to be homeless in the four weeks before their incarceration.

Incarcerated people are also thought to be 100 times more likely to experience homelessness than the general community.

George*, who arrived at Beechworth in January, has experienced homelessness.

As one of two full-time volunteers on the project, the work means a lot to him. He enjoys the privilege of knowing that his handiwork is protecting rough sleepers from the elements and providing them with a warm and comfortable place to sleep.

“This program has helped me more than anyone will ever know, so for that alone, I thank everyone involved and I will be eternally grateful for the opportunity,” George says.

It’s not too late to sign up for the Coffee Cup Challenge and join the team of compassionate people across Victoria and Tasmania who are trading caffeine for kindness and supporting those experiencing crisis.

Click here for more information or to register.

*This is a true story about real people. Some details such as names have been changed to respect the wishes of the people featured.