Andrew Schaper and Mike Matich getting ready to deliver G Centre services. “We don’t think outside the box because there is no box,” Mr Schaper said.
Camera IconAndrew Schaper and Mike Matich getting ready to deliver G Centre services. “We don’t think outside the box because there is no box,” Mr Schaper said. Credit: Supplied/Bruce Hunt        www.communitypix.com.au d435363

G Centre bringing ‘help and hope’

Lynn GriersonMidland Kalamunda Reporter

G Centre is a church-based organisation running projects "to provide help and hope" from the former MDF Victoria Street building.

Under its G banner, the centre will house the six "core communities" of art, business, social justice, church, generation and leadership.

Founding director Andrew Schaper said the organisation recently moved out of Morley because of the growing need in Midland.

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"Our group did some research and we realised Midland was an area of high need and there was a much larger homeless problem here," Mr Schaper said.

"We previously worked closely with Bayswater council supporting at-risk youth, working in high schools, and our work was featured on A Current Affair," Mr Schaper said.

"G Centre is about always working with a generational mindset; young people are not the future, they are the now."

G Centre officially opened last week with three days of events including a Youth Festival, an Arthouse showcase, and a Family Festival.

Mr Schaper said the group's outreach service G Justice had no religious affiliation and existed to alleviate poverty, sickness, destitution, suffering or misfortune.

He described the organisation as "very left of centre" with Christian-based values, and funded through donation.

"G Justice is not here to reinvent the wheel, so where possible we will familiarise ourselves with existing services in the community," Mr Schaper said.

Volunteers will take the G Justice self-contained trailer to the homeless, supplying hot drinks, food and swag backpacks where needed.

"We will go to where the homeless are because in our experience, homeless people tend to be very transient."