By Oliver Winn
A crucial support service in Yarra Junction needs help from the public to keep the lights on during power outages throughout the winter.
Volunteer-run Benwerren is a not-for-profit organisation that provides stays in a caring and nurturing environment for women and children in need, allowing them to take a break and heal from life’s challenges.
Benwerren chief executive officer Nichole Kelly said the Benwerren house needed a generator to ensure the organisation can still deliver its services during power outages because otherwise they are forced to temporarily let people go.
“I actually recall a year, it was during winter and the power went out for a number of days and we had families here that we had to send home,” Ms Kelly said.
“We just think if we were able to have a generator that’s wired in and easy for our volunteers to use, it just means our service can continue operating without disruption.”
Benwerren has started a GoFundMe page where it aims to raise $17,000 to cover the costs of purchasing and installing a generator.
The GoFundMe can be found here: gofundme.com/f/benwerren-time-out-for-women-and-children-in-need
From 2023-2024, Benwerren provided stays for 145 women and 110 children, which included 12 families who were without a home at the time.
Ms Kelly said Benwerren’s welcoming and warm atmosphere helped guests feel comfortable and cared for.
“It runs like a home. We have our meals together, and our volunteers that come here to support our program help cook and clean and make our gardens look beautiful.”
She said Benwerren opted for the term ‘guest’ over ‘client’ because it reflected the type of care the house provided.
“It’s really about coming and being welcomed into a home and into a family, and then we just welcome people as they are and meet people where they’re at,” Ms Kelly said.
The family-centred approach doesn’t come from nowhere though.
Before being registered as a charity in 1978, Benwerren was an informal support service operated by Ms Kelly’s grandparents.
“It was my grandparents that actually started Ben Warren. It’s how they sort of lived their life.”
Her grandparents’ acts were motivated by genuine benevolence and a lived experience of a hard upbringing.
“If they came across somebody that had a need and they were able to meet it, then they did, and so they often took people into their home and that’s really what Benwerren grew out of.”
Ms Kelly’s aunty then took over from her grandparents and established Benwerren as a formal company, expanding the service but still retaining its small scale, family oriented focus.
The organisation has never received government funding and has relied on fundraising and hardworking volunteers to stay open.
Ms Kelly said a small budget, although limiting, helped keep Benwerren’s services simple, which means its care and support can be personalised and human-focused.
“If we were to receive government funding there would be pressure to change what we do, and we think what we do is pretty good, so we don’t really want to change that,” she said.
Its volunteers also staff an op shop called Benwerren Boutique in Yarra Junction, where 100 per cent of the money earned funds Benwerren’s operating costs.
Benwerren have raised just under $1,000 of the $17,000 goal.
