Forging a better life and dignity through HOPE

Passionate. Selfless. Driven

Social worker Amanda Ellerby is passionate about helping people who are homeless or at-risk to forge a better life.

As a coordinator with HOPE (Helping Out People Everywhere), she ensures her team offers clients dignity as well as practical help such as sleeping bags, showers, food and toiletries. They also assist with some of the financial costs associated with obtaining and maintaining suitable accommodation.

“I believe each person has within them something great to contribute to this world and I am passionate about helping people realise their worth and reach their potential,” says Amanda.

She feels humbled to be named a Westfield Local Hero. “It’s an honour to be recognised by the local community. People haven’t been aware of the extent of our work, so this means we can reach a lot more people who can benefit from the work that we do.”

Last year, HOPE provided food relief to over two thousand families. This year the aim is to move beyond practical assistance and provide clients with skills and mentoring to help them succeed in life, an approach Amanda has used in more than fourteen years of working in the homeless sector.

“In my years of work, I’ve seen grown men break down in tears after sharing that they’ve had enough of years of daily drug use and I’ve had the opportunity to provide them with the tools to start making changes in their life,” she says. “I've had a young girl call me each time she thought she'd used too much heroin, just to have someone on the other end of the phone.”

Westfield Local Heroes are nominated and voted for by their communities, with the three top finalists per Westfield centre each awarded a $10,000 grant for their affiliated organisation.

HOPE’s grant means it can meet more of the demand for help. It will also be able to upskill volunteers and further develop life skills workshops for clients.

“This grant means we can start implementing many of the things I’ve had a vision for but not had the funds or resources to do so,” says Amanda.

__For further information on the Westfield Local Heroes program, click here. __