Karen and Rhonda are hoping the profits of a new op-shop will benefit single parents across the West. 80850 Picture: DAMJAN JANEVSKI
By LAURA WAKELY
IT’S a long-term dream, but Parents Without Partners are determined to set up emergency accommodation in the West.
The not-for-profit group held their grand opening for their new op-shop in Keilor East on Saturday.
Shop co-ordinator Rhonda McHugh said Parents Without Partners was a “stepping stone back into society”.
“When you lose a partner or come out of a relationship for one reason or another, you feel out of step,” Rhonda said.
“We’re not a dating agency, we help teach our people how to survive out there.
“How to step out, how to communicate, to build relationships with other like-minded people who know what they’ve been through and why.”
The group is hoping the shop would pay for the membership of Parents Without Partners and eventually raise enough to build an emergency house in the western suburbs.
“We run an emergency housing unit over in Croydon and it’s full all the time,” Rhonda said.
“We’re going to need about one million bucks, so we will be looking at Government grants, but we have to show we’re willing to put in something.”
The shop has been operating for two weeks and sales have been steady so far.
“It’s been fabulous, the community around here is very welcoming and very friendly,” Rhonda said.
“I’d say to people just come on down and have a look.”
The Parents Without Partners op-shop is open at 26 Centreway in Keilor East.
