The petition, to be presented in state parliament, needs 2000 signatures from Victorian residents.
With only until the end of the week to get all the signatures they need, the Goranwarrabul House community members are devastated.
Co-ordinator Brenda Newman said a community member who was a victim of domestic violence had a breakdown over the house’s imminent closing.
“She said, ‘I cannot move again. I’ve done it too many times’,” Ms Newman said.
Community member Bobbie Pepper said it was a real loss.
“It’s a real loss of connection and a place to be,” she said.
“It’s devastating for the whole community. We come here, we form a bond and I think we’re a huge family.
“To not have that, and I guess not have the back-up space either, or the services that come here ... we get them services because we come here, so for this house to go away, things like optical or our teeth, these things start to deteriorate because we’re not going to go anywhere else for that.”
Fellow community member Jodie Ahmat said the services Goranwarrabul House offered had helped her immensely.
“It's helped my mental health. It's helped my daughter's mental health after running away, she loves coming in. She comes into the house and utilises the house and has gotten into painting and is doing really well with it,” she said.
“It'll be a shame if it closes because there's just nothing at all around here for any of us.
“We (have) got nothing to even look forward to.”
In July, just after Goranwarrabul House’s funding was cut, the Victorian Government announced that grants of up to $10,000 were available to First Nations businesses.
“I'm even more disgusted, to be honest,” Ms Pepper said.
“It just shows what people do without care or thought.
“If they don't have the health or the wellbeing, or food, how are we going to sit there and start businesses and thrive if we’ve got nowhere to thrive from?”
Goranwarrabul House supports a total of 45 families for food services, and more than 100 people attend services each week.
Ms Ahmat said her partner was Aboriginal, but didn’t get the chance to learn about his culture growing up.
“For him to learn his culture, it’s a big thing for him at the moment,” she said.
“It's just going to be taken away from him again as soon as he started to learn.”
Goranwarrabul House has been a part of Seymour for more than a decade, and a community member who asked not to be named has been there since the start.
The community member said the house was formed due to community feedback requesting a gathering space where Indigenous people could interact with each other.
“People have come from different parts of around the state or interstate even so they were newcomers and didn't necessarily know anybody,” the community member said.
“It was an unused building at the time, but it did have some furniture.
“I think at the time when people were planning the project, they never envisioned that there’s going to be a house.
“I had to go and began trying to find furniture to make up somewhat a community place.”
What was once an unused building is now Goranwarrabul House, which contains colourful memories of the lower Hume’s Aboriginal community in years past.
“I think what people forget to realise is that this is not just a building and its not just a community place,” the community member said.
“This is a place that contribute to people’s positive health and wellbeing, and if that’s saving lives at the end of the day, then I just don't understand the decision behind closing it.”
Paper petitions for Goranwarrabul House’s recurrent funding are available at local cafés, the Seymour Library, community houses and neighbouring towns.
The Victorian Government has been contacted for a comment.
18°C