Through the power of friendship, Cana Communities has changed thousands of hearts and lives in its approach to caring for people who are homeless, mentally ill, addicted or lonely, for nearly 50 years.
Restauranteur Marc Polese is one such friend, who after selling the Orchard Hills farm the charity used for its education and social enterprise projects in Sydney’s west, offered to secure another property so the relationship can continue.
From September the charity will lease a 13-acre property in North Richmond, which will become the new Cana Farm, a welcoming community space where members gain confidence, form friendships and learn skills to help them prepare for mainstream employment.
Marc’s father, the late Beppi Polese, was the founder of one of Sydney’s iconic Italian restaurants Beppi’s, and another friend of Cana for many years.
Cana’s CEO David Balhausen said members had been devastated at losing the farm that was “chock-full” of special memories, and as soon as Polese heard how upset they were he offered to find it a new home.
“We are so touched by the way Marc has not only shown such generous concern for us but is also honouring his father’s legacy by going out of his way to find a new home for our farm community,” Ballhausen said.
“Beppi would be so very proud of him.”
The Dominican Brother Mark Brereton founded the community as De Porres House in 1975, as a mission to companion people with few options in life. He was soon joined by Presentation Sister Anne Jordan and Jesuit priest Fr Brian Stoney.
In 2016 it won an Opus Prize, a prestigious faith-based award for social change for the work at the farm, which has helped Cana to offer opportunities for connection with the wider community such as schools and other groups, and also help cover its own costs through sales of fresh produce, handmade candles, hampers and gift sets.
Today there are three homes, De Porres House for men and Nano’s and Nagle Houses for women, an overnight shelter in Redfern called St Francis House, and the produce farm and social enterprise project based at Orchard Hills in Sydney’s west.
Run mostly by volunteers and with no government funding, the community helps people who have been on the streets, in drug or alcohol rehabilitation or in jail to put the past behind them, take responsibility for their future, and start again.
Courtney, 21, moved into Nagle House four months ago after being referred to Cana by the Drug Court of New South Wales, a special court that offers an alternative to prison for eligible people with drug addiction who have committed crimes.
Now with support for her physical and mental health she is preparing to begin studies in community services.
“It’s like a family. Now I have home, stability, something to do that’s positive. Here you learn how to cope in everyday life without going back to using drugs,” Courtney said at a lunchtime gathering at the light-filled Surry Hills terrace house.
“The Cana community shows you there’s another path in life and really guides you in taking those steps.
“I came here from rehab because I had nowhere else to go. I’m so thankful to be here. It’s really bought me some peace.”
Founder of the Cana farm and former CEO Julie Sneddon said she came from a family that valued volunteering, and originally signed up to do so “in a conventional way” one or two days a week as her children were getting older and needed her less.
“I thought I was coming to make a difference for somebody else, but the difference it was making was to me,” she said.
“For me it’s a constant challenge. It challenges my values, my spirituality and has given me a much greater understanding of the importance of boundaries and caring for people, and to get that combination right is difficult.
“If not for Cana, Courtney’s and my paths in life would never have crossed, but the greatest learning for me is that we are all the same.
“We all want to belong and be part of something and have hope.”
Joanna Essilfie is a community nurse who spends time at Cana each week, supported by St Vincent’s Hospital, supporting the often complex medical and general health needs.
She removes her “nursing hat” to get to know people and gain their confidence, by lingering in conversation over lunch, or joining a birthday party or an outing, such as a recent visit by Cana members to see the Archibald Prize exhibition at the Art Gallery of NSW.
“Otherwise I’m still just the nurse and they are the patient. Cana is based on the Bible story about Jesus attending the wedding feast and performing his first miracle, and it’s really what it is,” Essilfie said.
“It’s a community and a celebration of each person where so much comes out of the relationships between them.
“You really do need to walk alongside people to see what it’s like to walk in their shoes.
“Sometimes their health is not the main issue, there are other barriers like housing and mental health issues or other social pressures that need to be overcome in order to deal with a person’s health issues.”
Cana has worked hard to create a culture of hospitality, sharing meals and especially celebrating birthdays which is important for people who aren’t used to having anyone take note of them.
Volunteer Regina Madden said the Cana way of life is an “expression of the Gospel.”
Sneddon agreed. “Many other services do extraordinary work, but they are feeding the homeless or otherwise doing something for them as opposed to being with them and sharing together as we do here,” she said.
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