Nullum House back in business
12 October 2018
$100,000 repair and refurbishment gives vulnerable a place to belong
Heartfelt words from the community were shared at the reopening of Nullum House on Wednesday following its repair and refurbishment in the wake of the March 2017 flood:
“Nullum House is more than just a building. It is a home to those who don’t have one, a meal for those who are hungry, a family for people who have none, a shoulder to cry on when everything gets too much and to laugh when you thought you never would again. You have given us back more than just a building, you have given us a place to belong.”
Nullum House in Murwillumbah’s Knox Park was severely damaged in the flood and one of the options was to demolish the building and relocate the services.
However Council - with the backing of its tenant the not-for-profit Murwillumbah Community Centre Inc - decided to gut and refurbish the building at a cost of $100,000 to make it more flood resilient and vandal resilient.
Nullum House operates as a Social Inclusion Centre, providing a range of services to the homeless, lonely and struggling members of the community. It floods even in small events but this fitout will allow it to be hosed out and back in operation quickly after any future inundation.
The external blockwalls have been waterproofed to about one metre above ground level; steel security screens have been fitted and the eaves have been lined with Colorbond. On the inside, a more open-plan has been adopted with fewer internal walls, tiles have replaced linoleum and a stainless steel kitchen and benches have replaced the timber fitout. Electrical circuits have been lifted above likely inundation levels.
Over the past 12 years, the services from Nullum House have grown and 24 staff and volunteers now provide lunch twice a week, shower and laundry services, counselling services, art and music therapy and connections to other support services. Three evenings a week the Combined Churches run a soup kitchen from Nullum House.
For more information about Nullum House and the services provided there, drop in to the Centre on Monday to Thursday from 8.30am to 2.30pm.
The opening was attended by about 100 people, including Member for Richmond Justine Elliot, Member for Lismore Thomas George, Mayor of Tweed Councillor Katie Milne, Deputy Mayor Councillor Chris Cherry and former councillor and chairman of Murwillumbah Community Centre Inc, Barry Longland.
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Caption: Murwillumbah Community Centre volunteers (from left) Gary Setchell, Judith Lindsay, Rodney Morrin, Fiona Mengersen and Mervyn Newell help out at the refreshment table at the official re-opening of Nullum House on Wednesday.