Our Guest Speaker from last Wednesdays online Club ZOOM Meeting was Mr Ian Johnson, who is one of the Directors of the Tanti Park Social Enterprises LTD (TPSE).
TPSE is a registered charity providing support and essential and vital services for the area of Tanti Park within Mornington Some of the names of the linked organisation’s to TPSE such as JIGSAW, HomesGround are familiar to some of our members and Ian’s presentation provided us with a great breakdown of the services individually and also as a ‘whole entity ‘, and their functions and aims.
Some 20 years ago a group of community minded ladies within the area formed a volunteer group with the view to provide support for families in need within the Tanti Park community. The name JIGSAW came from within, being the participants and families who were recipients of the
program named the service based on their own diverse cultural, financial, social and family problems and challenges. This created a sense of ownership that still continues today and is providing such services as food hampers, cooked hot meals, family guidance, substance abuse counselling, mentoring sessions for young adolescents and many more vital community services. The Tanti Park Community contains, in a very small geographical area, some 2,200 residents. With such large numbers in a small area JIGSAW certainly has its hands full.
Ian explained that one of the problems that JIGSAW strive to overcome with its clients and subsequently its vision is to “ see the cycles of generations of poverty broken”. One of the main challenges that JIGSAW encounters is the terrible affliction that substance abuse has on the families and the individuals.
In its formative years and up until some three years ago the services where located in a space within the local shops situated on Robertson Drive. The space was created for a”drop in centre“ where residents could just pop in have a chat, a cuppa and seek advice and support ‘ and these services continues to-date.
With a vision to expand and provide more services to the Tanti Park neighbourhood, Ian along with his support volunteer’s looked at expanding and providing a place not only for a drop in centre but also to provide residents a place where they could find, experience and source a means to gainful employment hopefully leading to an ethos of raising their self esteem, a basic cornerstone of ones character.
From this TPSE, LTD was formed and the result of this was it provided the capability to operate the centre as a business in what we now know as The HomeGround’s Café’. This Café now offers a raft of services from a coffee eat-in or take away establishment, still provides a drop-in centre for those in need of support, and now has encompassed a Training Facility. With the current Lockdown Restrictions the Café is playing a vital role in the production of hot cooked meals for the local neighbourhood.
To quote from the Café’s website:
“ HomeGround’s mission is to support young people and create community and belonging in its local neighbourhood and the wider Mornington Peninsula region. We also sling top notch Commonfolk coffees and make great food too!”
The three keys area’s the HomesGround focus on are
- to provide vocational training and employment pathways for young people who are struggling to get a fair go!
- Creating a place to call home! We want our community to be part of creating a 'third place' in our local neighbourhood.
- Providing education and connection around healthier food and access to local foods and community meals
TPSE also have a connection to another one of our communities’ great volunteer organisations in FUSION. This association came about when thru state Regulations the then OP Shop located next door to HomesGround could not continue to operate in its current form and thru the efforts of TPSE the Op Shop is now operated by FUSION, which supports this wonderful organisation and the flow on provides staffing and funds to assist in their aims and outcomes.
This article only provides a snap-shop of the vast array of support services that TPSE provides to the Tanti neighbourhood and Ian’s presentation provided a lot more information that our members found very informative and inspiring, for what they do for those in need. A very big thanks to Ian and all the members of TPSE. Well done and keep the great work going.
As a footnote the Café, under the current Lockdown Restrictions, is still open as takeaway only daily between 7;00 & 2;00pm
https://www.facebook.com/homegroundcoffeecompany/
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