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At The Salvation Army's Villawood Community Hub in south-west Sydney, Christmas brings neighbours together through friendship, practical support and a shared sense of belonging.

Villawood is a richly multicultural part of south-west Sydney, where many residents carry stories shaped by migration, resilience and new beginnings. In the suburb's large community housing estates, many residents struggle with financial pressure, isolation and the effects of past trauma.

In the heart of Villawood, The Salvation Army's Villawood Community Hub offers practical support, friendship and a place to belong throughout the year. This includes food assistance and cost-of-living relief.

Each year, the Villawood Community Hub hosts a local Christmas community lunch celebration, where residents gather for food, children's activities, presents and hampers, along with a chance to sit, talk and simply enjoy being together.

For some families however, the day is more than a celebration.

"For some of our community members, this is their only Christmas," Lawrence Besant, who leads the work at the centre, explains. "The Christmas hampers, food assistance and gifts mean families have food on the table and something to share at home.

“Some haven't got a huge income. We don't turn anyone away. We want everyone who wants to celebrate to be able to."

Finding connection

After losing her husband, Sally needed support and a way to reconnect with others. Today, she is one of many local residents who have found friendship and a sense of belonging at the Hub, which also gave her the support she needed during a difficult time.

"There was someone to listen to me and what I was going through," Sally says.

She has continued as a regular, saying, "I come here to have a cup of tea or coffee and stay engaged with the community. It's good to come here, change the atmosphere, laugh with others and forget the things at home."

Christmas at the Hub was also important to her.

"The Christmas hamper was the best," Sally says. "It really helped and made Christmas feel special."

For Helen, another Villawood resident in her 60s, the Hub has become ‘a chance to go outside of the house’, share coffee and conversation, and spend time with others.

Helen says the Hub has become an important part of her routine and wellbeing.

"I come every Tuesday, meeting people and talking with people," she says. "Being an elderly lady, this gives me a chance to go outside of the house … to have coffee with them, communicate with them, laugh with them and play games with them. 

It takes the loneliness away."

She says the Christmas gathering was a highlight.

"The Christmas hamper was exciting," Helen says. "Gathering with the community and sharing time together — that's the best thing."

Financial and housing support by The Salvation Army

The Villawood Community Hub operates from within a local housing estate and opens three days a week, offering advocacy, housing assistance, referrals, food assistance and everyday support for residents navigating complex challenges.

"We're not outside the community looking in, we're part of it," says Lawrence.

"Some of our time could be ringing housing for community members or contacting mental health services. We work with complex and high-needs clients, vulnerable people."

Lawrence says the Hub is about more than providing services.

"We try to create a safe place for our community to be able to come in and say, 'Life is really tough and I need help,'" he says.

Lawrence recalls one woman who arrived at the Hub feeling deeply depressed. She simply wanted somewhere she could feel safe enough to sit, cry and talk. For him, it was a powerful reminder of the importance of offering a safe place for the community.

Christmas together

"In places like this, people carry a lot of pain," Lawrence says. "It takes time and energy to build trust. People need time before they'll open up."

Much of the Hub's most meaningful work happens quietly.

"Sometimes it's not dramatic," Lawrence says. "It's just someone saying, 'I need a safe place to sit and be today.' But that's significant.

This ministry matters, because our people matter so much to us, and we genuinely believe every single person matters intimately to the heart of God."

For Sally, the highlight at Christmas remains the people.

"Connecting with others was good," she says. "We were laughing, joking, talking and staying in touch with one another."

Helen agrees the sense of community matters most.

The Christmas gathering has been running for more than a decade and is made possible through partnerships with local organisations and volunteers, who help provide food, hampers and practical support for families.

As a faith-based organisation, The Salvation Army sees Christmas as both a community celebration and a reminder of the hope at the heart of the season.

"For me, Christmas is the time when we celebrate Christ's birth, but we also celebrate the importance of humanity," Lawrence says. "We celebrate hope. People are crying out for hope because at the moment they don't feel it.

“The thing that Jesus Christ gives us to give to our community is hope."