Sydney Community Foundation to support victims and families
The Inner West’s magic yellow bus, bringing toys and joy to families and children, began decades ago at the heritage church on Dickson Street, Newtown, which has been described as a “powerhouse of goodness” for 110 years.
The property, now valued at $3.8 million, was transferred at no cost to the non-profit Sydney Community Foundation by its previous owners, the Dickson Street Space charity.
The Dickson Street charity also donated $100,000 to help with the running costs of the $7 million foundation.
The gift of the 113-year-old, 439 square meter heritage property came at the right time as the foundation wanted to expand its work.
In response to the Bondi Beach tragedy, The foundation launches an appeal to support victims and families with immediate financial and crisis support.
Foundation chief executive Loredana Fyffe said the appeal would assist the NSW Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors Service (STARTTS). The STARTTS helpline, set up to support refugees and others experiencing conflict overseas, was busy taking calls from Sydneysiders following the mass shootings at Bondi Beach on Sunday. “They are calling because STARTTS has a multilingual team that speaks Hebrew, Arabic, Ukrainian, for example,” he said.
The foundation aims to raise $50,000, which will also fund Jewish House to provide financial and practical support to women who have been unable to work, pay rent, pay medical bills or groceries since the shootings.
Giving away the former property, which includes a church, a former yoga studio large enough to house the foundation’s 10 staff, and a kitchen and dining area, was harder than most people realize.
Elaena Gardner, board member of Dickson Street Space, said use of the space has dropped after COVID.
“It started as a church and has always been a powerhouse for good,” Gardner said.
“But as a very small group of volunteers, we realized we couldn’t actually deliver what we wanted. We couldn’t use much of the space. The building needed a new life. We wanted to give the entire building to another non-profit organization.
“We love this building and it’s been part of the Newtown community for so long. It has a very special place in our hearts. We really wanted to make sure we gave it to the right group.”
It was difficult to find a nonprofit organization willing to accept such a large gift, along with the associated operating costs. According to Dickson’s constitution, it was necessary to find a building that would work for the community and be sturdy enough to carry the building into the future.
He asked for advice on who to turn to. Sydney Community FoundationI don’t expect the foundation itself to be interested. But he was expanding rapidly and promised help if he couldn’t get the property.
According to Fyffe, the call “couldn’t have come at a better time. We were in the middle of hosting a series of events to raise money for our Sydney Women’s Fund to appeal against domestic and sexual violence. And we were expanding our existing facilities.”
After a nine-month review and handover process, the title deed was delivered last week.
The Sydney Community Foundation also received funding from two other charities that have closed, and Fyffe predicted others would follow as it becomes more difficult and expensive to run a not-for-profit organisation.
She also benefited from grants and donations to the Sydney Women’s Fund, where older women, mostly widows, did not know “what to do with their money”.
Fyffe said: “They talk about buying their house in Coogee for $49,000 when they were 21 and now it’s worth $6 million.”
As the number of older Australians grows, the foundation is fielding calls from couples who are considering their property portfolios or retirement income and realizing they can do good for their children and society too.
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