Make a Difference Every Day

“My role is helping women escape from domestic violence,” explains Catherine. “Helping put them into safe accommodation, help them with DVO orders against perpetrators, and making sure they feel safe where they are. I then sit down and do a case plan with them, help them apply for housing, provide transport to find rental properties.”

It’s delicate work, and quite involved. It’s also hands-on work, which Catherine loves.“Being a Torres Strait woman, an indigenous woman, helping my people is important to me,” she says.

“I’ve always wanted to help others. Growing up, we took care of my grandfather’s brothers; they couldn’t do a lot of things on their own,” recalls Catherine.

We all need support at different times in our lives, whether that’s as a child at a daycare centre, an older relative whose body has tired, or a mother and her children escaping domestic violence and figuring out a new world of independence.

“People will choose their path on their own, but I am here on the side, to help, guide and hold their hand, if they want me to,” says Catherine.

“What brings joy to me in this job, is when my ladies come to me and tell me they’ve got their own home, which they don’t share with what they’ve been through. With that house, they are starting again, on a fresh new journey. My greatest joy is seeing the happiness that comes from their independence.”

Catherine says there is a clear, shared purpose of all those working at Yumba-Meta which drives the organisation forward in the same direction.

“Yumba-Meta as a workplace is like a big family. If one goes down, not just one picks you up – everybody will pick you up,” says Catherine. “You will climb that ladder at work, but it’s the managers that are the ladders, they are the ones lifting you up, lifting me up.

Abdul’s job as Concierge is essentially a bridging role between tenants and their case workers. He is available, on site at Dale Parker Place, to assist with tenant well-being, whether that’s monitoring their safety, making sure they are ready to attend important appointments, communicating with their case managers and really anything that helps to improve their life skills and living styles.

The role is the same as a Support Worker, but with a different title.

“My job is to help,” explains Abdul, who has worked at Yumba-Meta since 2011. “We are dealing with people, some are addicted to alcohol and drugs, so at times they come home when they can’t even walk. I am there to help them to their rooms, pick up food for them, clean their rooms, whatever they need at that time.”

Meeting people at a really tough time in their life, Abdul knows the importance of just having someone nearby to give a hand or lend an ear.

“Some of our tenants come to us in a bad shape, and then when they leave they are in a good shape. That’s good to see.”

His manager describes Abdul as hard working, highly reliable, and someone who never says no, who doesn’t wait for jobs to come to him, he looks for things to do.

“We are like family at Yumba-Meta, I feel at home here. I feel good coming to work. The bosses are nice and easy to talk to, I feel comfortable discussing anything with my boss. Yumba-Meta is a good place to work. I’m so grateful.”

Initially from Cardwell, Charles accepted a carpentry apprenticeship in Brisbane aftergraduating from Tully High School, only moving North again a decade later to take up a succession of construction positions with Indigenous organisations.

In 2000 he made a foray into the area of social welfare with a role as a Youth Workerat the Cleveland Detention Centre, and it was on this background that Charles first joined YML as a Support Worker in 2012. “I’ll admit; initially, I was surprised they offered me the position, but when I thought about it, being a site supervisor in the construction industry, I had to communicate with multiple people, every day. You’ve got to develop rapport and respect to get outcomes, and that’s no different to working here at YML.”

These days, Charles works as a Case Manager at Dale Parker Place. “I didn’t realise homelessness was that big of an issue locally. I always thought, within my culture from Torres Strait, that if you are struggling in life, the family takes you in. However, working here, I have learned that many people don’t want to be a burden to their families. People want their independence and structural security.”

It’s with a clear sense of pride that Charles comments on the impacts of YML within the local community. “I think we’re doing a good job here. We’re a unique organisation that’s always changing, and YML continues to develop positive outcomes, that feedback into the community.”

“We’ve seen many great outcomes for our tenants. It’s about helping people socialise back into the community, including simple things like meeting rent, paying electricity bills, and buying groceries.” “Our program has helped many clients coming out of the prison system too. Being institutionalised for so long is a challenge, yet through our programs, we’ve seen clients get back into the community and achieve independence.”

When asked if Charles misses his initial occupation as a builder, he smiles, “I’m not going anywhere; it’s the best job you could ask for. We assist people from all different communities. You get to see the cultural differences and richness.”