Gifts of Welcome and Care for Wyn Carr House

There’s something special about a handmade quilt or blanket that invokes a homely comfort. So when the Wagin Uniting Patchwork group heard about the redevelopment of Wyn Carr House in Fremantle as transitional accommodation for women over 55 experiencing homelessness, they found a practical way to contribute – handmade quilts to help women feel welcomed and cared for as they begin a new chapter in their lives.

The Wagin Uniting Patchwork group are connected to the Wagin Uniting Church, using one of the church spaces for their weekly gatherings, with several members also involved in the church congregation.

It was during a visit from Jen Park, Co-CEO of Uniting WA to the Wagin Uniting Church late last year that the seed of the idea came about. Jen was sharing with the congregation about the soon-to-be opened Wyn Carr House project, and how important it would be in supporting older women in need.

Moved by the story, Wendy Steels began to consider ways the church could help with this project. It was during a gathering of the patchwork group she regularly attends, she realised that there was a tangible way they could contribute. Wendy shared the idea with the group, suggesting they create quilts for the House. The patchwork group were often making quilts for various charities including the Cancer Council and the Albany Women’s Refuge, so it was a relatively easy decision to turn their talents to making them for Uniting WA. After discussing the project with Claudia Hundloe at Uniting WA, it was agreed that the group would make 12 quilts – enough for each bedroom of the House.

Quilt making not only takes time and creativity, it also requires a fair amount of materials, so it was encouraging for the group to receive a donation from the Wagin Uniting Church congregation, and as word spread in the community there were other donations of fabric and supplies being gifted. Wendy recalled there was a mix of experienced and novice quilt makers in the group, and that everybody made a contribution in some way.

“We’ve got some ladies who’ve been quilters for 50 years and their quilts are just immaculate. And others like me who’ve only been doing it for maybe 10 years, we do our very best. But we work on the Amish idea that nothing should be perfect because only God is perfect. So, if our quilt doesn’t quite work out as it should be, that’s quite okay.”

In total the group made an impressive 15 quilts for Wyn Carr House. In early May they had the opportunity to present the quilts in person to Jen Park and Uniting WA staff and were offered a tour of the facilities prior to the opening. Wendy said,

“When we were up at Wyn Carr House, they took a couple of the quilts up to show us what they’d look like in the bedroom. And their rooms are beautiful. It’s new and modern and lovely, but it’s rather sterile. You put a coloured quilt in there and it just looked lovely. It looked really homely and welcoming, so I’m glad we did what we did.”

Uniting WA’s Jen Park said they were delighted to receive the quilts and it was a pleasure to welcome the Wagin group to Wyn Carr House for the presentation. She also wanted to give a shout out and thanks to Kalamunda, Noranda and Willetton Uniting Churches for their recent quilt and blanket support.

It’s encouraging to hear of so many generous and creative people in our church community sharing their gifts with others.

Uniting WA currently have enough quilts for Wyn Carr House, however for those who wish to help further, a financial contribution enables Uniting WA to meet the most urgent needs across their services. You can head to their website https://unitingwa.org.au/get-involved/donate/ or give them a call on 9220 1222.

About Wyn Carr House

Wyn Carr House is a “purpose built transitional housing facility for older women, a group identified as one of the fastest-growing cohorts experiencing homelessness in Australia.”

The project, led by Uniting WA alongside the Department of Housing and Works, Lotterywest and Housing All Australians as well as generous supporters, transformed an historic site into a safe place for vulnerable women at risk of homelessness.

Wyn Carr offers:

• Trauma-informed design
• Wrap-around support
• Sustainable design
• Access to community

Find out more here – https://unitingwa.org.au/our-impact/projects/housing/wyn-carr-house/

Story by Wendy Hendry, photos thanks to Uniting WA.