THE search for new accommodation for the Rockingham Low Cost Food Centre continues more than 12 months after the City of Rockingham donated $4000 to help meet a rise in the rent at its Hurrell Way premises.
The council provided the one-off contribution on the condition the centre and its parent group Second Harvest worked together to solve the financial issue, possibly through corporate sponsorship and bigger premises.
Founder and co-ordinator Bev Blake said it had been a frustrating year with still no real answers to the problems despite a lot of hard work from the council, Rockingham Kwinana Development Office, Lotterywest and the Salvation Army.
Captain Lance Jeffrey, from Rockingham Salvation Army, said there were hopes the centre could be accommodated at a new purpose-built multi-functional community centre at its Willmott Drive site.
He has written to the Salvation Army’s Divisional Secretary in Perth who would need to request permission from the territorial headquarters in NSW before negotiations about funding and the legalities of the building’s use and ownership could proceed.
The non-profit centre is still struggling to pay its monthly rent of $1100, double what it was paying four years ago.
Mrs Blake said it was hard to attract and maintain customers as the centre was some distance from a bus stop, making it difficult for those with mobility issues and the small shop was very crowded and had little parking space.
South Metropolitan Region MLC and RKDO chairman Phil Edman said it was vital to ensure the centre’s sustainability as it provided such an important service to the community, especially pensioners and health care card holders.
Last July, Rockingham Council gave the centre $5000 to fund an organisational review and buy accounting software. Council also secured two laptop computers from BHP Billiton as part of this up-skilling process.