Need extra support over the holiday period?
My office will be closed from Friday 20 December until Monday 6th January for the holidays. My team and I will try to keep our community pantry and little library stocked throughout the summer shutdown but given how many people are doing it tough, we might not always be able to make sure there’s something in there.
Holidays also impact other community services. Some have reduced hours while others struggle with the extra strain holidays bring.
Special thanks to Jack Keegan and the team at The Coffee Brigade for pulling together holiday openings for services across Brisbane. You can see the full schedule on The Coffee Brigade's website here.
Christmas Day free community meals
- Coffee Brigade van will be at its usual place and times as well as a 6:30am BBQ at stop 3 on Wickham Terrace
- Wesley Community Canteen will have a Christmas lunch at noon and 1:30pm at the Relief Hub at 316 St Pauls Terrace in the Valley
- Wesley House will have a Christmas lunch from noon to 1:30 at 140 Ann Street in the CBD, with free coffee before noon
Crisis food support
- 3rd Space will be closed on public holidays including 25, 26 and 27 December and 1 January. Normal food services otherwise.
- Andy's Place at St Andrew's Uniting Church will be open on Thursdays from 8:00am to 11:00am for a light breakfast
- Brisbane Youth Service is open 1:00pm to 4:00pm at their new spot at 518 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley. BYS is not open weekends or public holidays.
- Coffee Brigade van stops at 6:30am every day opposite the Fire Station on Ivory Street in the Valley
- Combined Orthodox Churches have hot takeaway meals at 7:00pm Thursdays at Emma Miller Place in the CBD
- Eddie's van stops 6:45am Monday to Friday at Wickham Park opposite the Soho Building in the Valley
- St Mary's Coptic Orthodox Church have hot takeaway meals 7:00pm Wednesdays at Roma Street opposite the Magistrates Court
- Street Care have breakfast and a pantry at 7:00am to 9:00am Saturdays at Wickham Park opposite the Soho Building in the Valley
- Wesley Community Canteen is open 1:00pm Sundays, 6:00pm Mondays and 6:30pm Wednesdays at the Relief Hub at 316 St Pauls Terrace in the Valley.
Housing support
- Department of Housing is closed Wednesday 25th December
- Micah Projects will not be closing over the holidays - 07 3036 4444 - [email protected]
- Wesley Emergency Relief Hub at 316 St Pauls Terrace in the Valley will be closed for housing support services from 20 December to 6 January
- HART4000 are only closed for public holidays but expect longer wait times over the holidays.
Mental health safe space
- Communify Safe Space is open 5:00pm to 9:00pm weeknights and 9:00am to 1:00pm weekends - 0420 698 783
- Community Neighbourhood Community Centre is closed 25 December to 5 January
- Lifeline's crisis hotline on 13 11 14
- Non-emergency health advice from a nurse - 13 HEALTH: 13 43 25 84
Services Australia walk-in centres are closed on these public holidays:
- Wednesday 25 December 2024
- Thursday 26 December 2024
- Friday 27 December 2024
- Wednesday 1 January 2025
There are dozens of incredible organisations all around the city doing important work and can help you and your family when times are tough.
Here are a few organisations I work closely with that you might want to reach out to:
Community and social services
These organisations offer a variety of services and can also help connect you with more specific services. Many provide immediate emergency support, meals and food parcels, and long term advocacy, referrals and casework.
Communify | 07 3510 2700 | 180 Jubilee Terrace, Bardon | Communify provides assistance with emergency support, NDIS, aged care services, housing, multicultural programs, and transport. They run The Pantry, a free food service, and publish community events on their website, such as free community lunches.
Micah Projects | 07 3029 7000 | 163 Boundary Street, West End | Micah Projects have services for people experiencing homelessness or at risk of loss of tenancy, people who have experienced domestic and family violence or institutional child abuse, young pregnant or parenting women, people requiring disability or mental health support, and emergency relief services.
3rd Space | 07 3254 1144 | 505 Brunswick Street, Fortitude Valley | 3rd Space operates a drop-in centre open seven days a week during working hours for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. They offer emergency relief, individual and family support, health and financial services, and run a cafe with free and low-cost meals.
Brisbane Youth Service | 07 3620 2400 | 518 Brunswick St, Fortitude Valley | BYS offers specialised services for people aged 12 to 25 including crisis support, medical and mental health clinic, housing, parenting support and guidance counselling.
AskIzzy | AskIzzy is an online directory and 24/7 referral service to help you find shelter, food, healthcare, services and information nearby.
Food and emergency relief
Valley Hearts | 0405 872 963 | Jeays Street Park, Bowen Hills | Valley Hearts provides meals and groceries every Monday night at Jeays Street Park in Bowen Hills, and can provide additional grocery parcels for people in need during the week.
Coffee Brigade | 07 3831 8219 | Ivory Street and Wickham Park, Fortitude Valley | The Coffee Brigade runs a coffee and breakfast van every morning, serving sandwiches, fruit and hot drinks. The Coffee Brigade also maintain an up-to-date weekly roster of meal services in the inner city
Wesley Mission | 07 3216 1579 | 316 St Pauls Terrace, Fortitude Valley | The Wesley Mission runs a morning drop-in centre Mondays to Fridays before noon, providing meals, food parcels and casework.
Housing
Mortgage relief loans | 1300 654 322 | The Queensland Government offers conditional loans of up to $20,000 for people experiencing severe hardship in paying their mortgage.
Bond loans and rental grants | 13 74 68 | The Queensland Government offers small grants and loans to help people move into a new private rental. These loans cover a bond and two weeks rent while the once-off grants can cover two weeks rent.
Rental security subsidy | If you are finding it difficult to stay in a private rental because of the cost, the Queensland Government can pay your real estate agent a small proportion of your rent as a subsidy for up to a year.
Housing Service Centre | 07 3034 6500 | Level 7, 515 St Pauls Terrace, Fortitude Valley | The Queensland Government runs a drop-in centre to help you navigate state housing programmes.
QSTARS | 1300 744 263 | Tenants Queensland runs QSTARS as a free, independent advice and referral service for all renters. They can help with understanding your tenancy rights and responsibilities, resolving your tenancy issue, advocating for you when you talk to your lessor or agent, helping you write a letter or fill in tenancy forms and helping you prepare for your QCAT tenancy tribunal hearing
Home for Good | 07 3036 4444 | Micah Projects runs Home for Good, a broad housing advocacy and support service for people experiencing homelessness or who might be at risk of not having a home without intervention.
HART4000 | 07 3004 0100 | Communify runs a homelessness assessment and referral team in Fortitude Valley to help with immediate crisis housing and support for navigating social and public housing.
Homeless Hotline | 1800 474 753 | The Queensland Government Homeless Hotline is a phone information and referral service for people who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness.
Disability
Aged and Disability Advocates Australia | 1800 818 338 | Aged and disability advocates that provide information regarding your rights and responsibilities when receiving care or support in home or residential facilities, assist in exploring alternate care options, and make referrals where appropriate.
Queensland Advocacy for Inclusion | 07 3844 4200 | An independent advocacy organisation advocating for the protection and advancement of the needs, rights and lives of people with disability in Queensland.
Speaking Up for You | 07 3255 1244 | A social advocacy organisation for people with a disability in the greater Brisbane and Moreton Bay area including Redlands.
Queenslanders with Disability Network | 07 3252 8566 | Queenslanders with Disability Network has a range of services for people with a disability including supporting local support groups.
Family or gendered violence
Brisbane Domestic Violence Service | 07 3212 5444 | [email protected] | Micah Project’s run a free and confidential service for people who are affected by domestic violence.
Queensland Indigenous Family Violence Legal Service | 1800 887 700 | A free legal service for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander people affected by family violence or sexual assault.
DVConnect | 1800 811 811 | DVConnect provides emergency transport and accommodation for your entire family including pets, and also provide safety planning, crisis counselling, intervention, information and referrals at no cost to you
Brisbane Rape and Incest Survivors Support Centre | 07 3391 2573 | BRISSC is a community-based, not-for-profit organisation in Brisbane that provides support to women survivors of sexual violence.
Zig Zag Young Women’s Resource Centre | 07 3843 1823 | Zig Zag provides services include counselling and support to young women aged 12 to 25 years who have experienced sexual assault and medium term supported accommodation and housing support to young women aged 16-25 years who are experiencing homelessness or at risk of homelessness
Legal support
Basic Rights Queensland | 1800 358 511 | BRQ is a community legal centre that offers specialist advice and advocacy for people experiencing disability discrimination, issues with Centrelink or employment services, women facing discrimination or violence in the workplace, and people with mental health concerns.
Refugee and Immigration Legal Service | 07 3846 9300 | RAILS provides free immigration advice, legal assistance and legal education to immigrants, refugees and asylum seekers in Queensland. They also have a program designed to assist people on temporary visas who are experiencing domestic violence.
Legal Aid | 1300 651 188 | Legal Aid Queensland provides legal help to financially disadvantaged people about criminal, family and civil law matters.
Caxton Legal Centre | 07 3214 6333 | Caxton provides free legal help on a range of topics for people who are disadvantaged or on low income.
LGBTI Legal Service | 07 3124 7160 | LGBTI Legal Service offers free and confidential legal advice to Queensland residents who identify as members of the diverse lesbian, gay, bisexual, trans and intersex community.
Mental health
Lifeline | 13 11 14 | Lifeline provides free counselling services for anyone at any time.
Kids Helpline | 1800 551 800 | Kids Helpline provides specialist telephone and online counselling for young people aged 5-25.
Beyond Blue | 1300 224 636 | Beyond Blue helps people feeling depressed or anxious find the right information and referrals.
Multicultural Connect Line | 1300 079 020 | MCL provides telephone counselling for people from Culturally and Linguistically Diverse backgrounds.
National Dementia Helpline | 1800 100 500 | Dementia Australia run a 24/7 expert helpline for people living with or supporting someone with dementia.