The pop-up accommodation in Brisbane CBD that is changing lives
In Australia in 2019, more than 8000 vulnerable people were sleeping on the streets at night. After the COVID global pandemic changed the world and affected so many people both personally and financially, it’s not hard to imagine that that number has only grown in size.
As it creeps into the winter months and begins to get colder, one not for profit organisation has partnered with Secure Parking to provide clean and free pop-up accommodation for the homeless in Brisbane CBD – this organisation is Beddown.
What is Beddown?
Beddown began in 2019 with nothing but the thought of how all these people are doing it tough in Australia, a first world country. This is something that founder Norman McGillivray could not accept. From this starting point, Norm saw the potential in vacant shopping car parks at night and after doing his research and securing a partnership with Secure Parking, Beddown moved from an idea into its first trial run in Brisbane CBD.
What does Beddown do?
Beddown is built on three foundation principles:
We believe everyone deserves a bed to sleep in
Beddown takes spaces that are busy during the day and left empty at night, such as city car parks, and turns them into a safe space for the homeless. With the use of pop-up accommodation and generous volunteers, those who are doing it tough have the opportunity to have a safe and warm place to sleep.
Repairing the quality of life, before building a life of quality
The conditions of living on the streets can lead to sleep deprivation which in turn can lead to physical and mental conditions such as depression, diabetes, anxiety from constant exposure, and drug and alcohol abuse. By providing somewhere safe, secure and comfortable for these people to sleep, health, respect and dignity are restored to the guests.
Expedite the end of Beddown
Ending homelessness is the ultimate end goal of this program. The more guests they can assist in getting back on their feet and hopefully off the streets permanently, the faster Beddown will reach the end of the program. With the assistance of other charitable organisations, such as OrangeSky and Rosies, providing services such as laundry, showers, food, drinks, clothing, etc, Beddown is more than just a place to sleep and can help give their guests the fresh start they need to make a positive change.
How SMBSCS got involved in Beddown
One of our staff members, Taylor, heard about Beddown through a close friend, Rhiannon, who has been part of the Beddown startup and a volunteer supervisor for the first trial run in Brisbane. After seeing the time and effort Rhiannon was giving and the positive results she was seeing in people in just the first few weeks, Taylor thought this was something that Richard and SMBSCS could get behind.
Richard has always been an advocate for the less fortunate by supporting numerous charities and giving whenever he can to those less fortunate in the streets. After sending him a plethora of information from Rhiannon about Beddown and what the donations actually go towards, Richard could not wait to get behind this amazing cause!
SMB Solutions Cloud Services commitment to Beddown
As a result, SMB Solutions Cloud Services has committed to donating an initial amount of $360AUD and an additional $150AUD to Beddown for every new customer that signs up with us until the end of December 2021.
This initial donation can provide a great nights sleep for up to 12 people and with every new customer donation, it gives this amazing organisation the opportunity to provide a bed and fresh bedding for another guest to get a comfortable nights sleep.
If you want to get involved, head over to the Beddown website for more information on the organisation and how to donate or volunteer some of your time (if you are in a position to do so). Otherwise, feel free to reach out to the staff at SMB Solutions for more information on our Beddown commitment.