By Sian Brain and Julie Power
After years of showering in the old "clattery" showers at the Wayside Chapel in Kings Cross, regular Lani McLachlan rated the new facilities as clean, stylish and "very metro".
Every week about 500 people who live rough or are homeless take a shower at the Wayside, and receive a clean towel, like Lani's pink one, soap, shampoo and conditioner.
Lani McLachlan said the new showers at Wayside were a great improvement. Credit: Ben Rushton
Many receive emergency clothes, too, and food, like the mince pies that were being donated yesterday. Others brought in cash - in $2 and $1 coins adding up to nearly $300 in one case - and brand new toys for children, including a dazzling pink Barbie backpack.
On Christmas Day, Ms McLachlan, an Indigenous woman who has visited Wayside for 40 years, will give the welcome to country when about 1000 people sit down to eat lunch with all the trimmings at the Wayside. More than 2000 people are expected to visit, and anyone in need is welcome.
Isolated from three out of her four children, Ms McLachlan said she plans to smile as frequently as possible to cheer up others like her who were cut off from family.
For many of Wayside's guests, Christmas was far from a joyful time of family and connection, Wayside Chapel pastor Jon Owen said. "It could equally be called the festival of anxiety."
The Christmas Day lunch hosted by the Wayside Chapel last year.Credit: Dean Sewell
At a time when people who were homeless were in greater need than usual, many services closed for an annual break, he said. Unlike many non-profits, Wayside stays open every day of the year.
"You don't get a break from homelessness," said Pastor Owen, who is also Wayside's chief executive. "It is a full-time job."
Requests for help from working-class families living on the edge of poverty had increased significantly, with Christmas the trigger that pushed many over the edge, he said.
"The number one reason why people are homeless is because of breakdown of family and community. This time of year reinforces the sense of being unloved and unwanted. We see increased violence, and Christmas Day is the crescendo of it all with the highest levels of admission to A&E, which highlights the dark-side of Christmas."
This year Wayside has given their visitors more than lunch for Christmas. It has renovated the showers that are used about 500 times a week.
"Our philosophy is we treat everyone who walks through our doors as if they are guests in our very own home," said Pastor Owen.
For clients who had an addiction to drugs and alcohol, Christmas may represent a once-a-year opportunity to see family. "They can't afford to f--k up if they turn up dirty or turn up stoned. We help them turn up fresh and clean," said Pastor Owen.
Volunteer Alaya-Nelle Edwards.Credit:
Slots to volunteer at Wayside's Christmas lunch were filled months ago.
Instead of hitting the sales, Pastor Owen urged the public to visit Wayside to enjoy a " bad coffee", have a chat and share a meal with someone in need in late December and January.
Jason Kerr from Reverend Bill Crews’s Exodus Foundation said volunteer places for its Christmas filled some time ago. In fact Christmas volunteering at the foundation was so popular that people signed up nearly a year earlier. But help is still required throughout the rest of the year.
"Many [of our usual volunteers] go on holiday, but the homeless are still here," he said.
Sutherland Shire local Alaya-Nelle Edwards will be volunteering at the John Franklin Christmas lunch in the Sutherland Entertainment Centre. Anyone with a "need" is welcome to attend.
Ms Edwards volunteers throughout the year. “We all run around shopping and drinking coffee, so why can’t we have time to volunteer?” she said.