About us

Soulfully serving our community.

Delivering hope and healing

Soul Hub was the vision of Life Church and was formally established in 2003 as Soul Cafe. The vision was to build a charity dedicated to helping the most vulnerable in our community. As well as serving up meals, they wanted to go beyond this to cater to the whole person.

The guests who come through Soul’s doors today are from all walks of life. We see large levels of brokenness, homelessness and mental challenges, but we never judge. We’re simply here to offer sustenance, a friendly face, and many other types of essential support.

From accommodation to drug and substance abuse programs, haircuts, laundry and legal and medical services, whatever our guests need, we help them access it. Most importantly we deliver hope – hope that people care and that lives can heal.

Our people

Our Soul family is made up of volunteers, staff, a management team and a Board of Trustees and is as diverse as our guests. Between them, our 200+ volunteers give back over 400 hours per week to the community.

Matthew Ortiger

General Manager

Matt studied science at Sydney Uni but quickly realised he wasn’t cut out for a white lab coat. As a result, he’s spent the last 30 years in various forms of management in the community / charity sector. Since early 2019, he’s been Soul’s General Manager and says it’s one of the best jobs he’s ever had.

Lorraine Price

Finance & Venue

After relocating from Perth, Lorraine volunteered her time at Soul Hub on reception. An early retirement was not for her and after several months this led to a role in finance, drawing on previous financial and administrative skills. She loves her job, the amazing team she works with, and feels very grateful she can contribute and be part of the Soul Family.

John Fowler

Guest Support Coordinator

John has been volunteering at Soul since 2020. Having first arrived in Australia in 2015, he and his wife Linda are hoping to make Australia their home as their two sons, partners and three grandchildren are now residents. He enjoys the beach and has always loved snorkeling and diving. John hopes to explore many more parts of Australia. John loves meeting and chatting to our Soul guests and is now actively involved in SMART Recovery and Coaching programs.

Mark Henderson

Guest Support Coordinator

Mark enjoys being part of an inclusive space where individuals feel valued, safe and heard. Sometimes laughing loudly with guests, he has a focus on fostering respect and empathy. Mark hopes that everyone who walks through the door feels welcomed and may step into some calm in their day. In his other activity as a PhD researcher his aim is to narrow the gap between the theory and practice of how people care and relate to each other. He recognises that meaningful interactions with human connection can be restorative, especially when yummy food abounds, like at Soul.

Martin Bigg

Guest Support Coordinator

Martin came to Soul from the Defence Force where he served 20 years between the Navy and the RAAF. He came to discover Soul in 2019 after being introduced to them to help in his own mental illness that he was struggling with. Martin says after his own journey he now understands mental illness more and has the drive to help others. He also completed his Certificate IV in Mental Health. Martin has a wife, three kids and 4 grandkids, he enjoys playing cricket and supporting the mighty Parramatta Eels.

Sue Prosser, Soul Floor / Kitchen Manager

Sue Prosser

Hospitality Manager

Wife to Rick and devoted mum and Grandma, Sue has been the Floor / Kitchen manager at Soul Hub for 10 years. She loves what she does every day, serving some of the most vulnerable people in our community. She also appreciates her amazing team, who she sees as family and calls the ‘best in the world’.

Our trustees

Soul Hub is a business name held by LifeShapers Family Services Trust which is a registered charity. Life Church Ltd (ACN: 069 609 356) is the corporate trustee for Life Shapers Family Services Trust (ABN: 67 385 398 045). The charity is part of the vision and mission of Life Church. The trust is managed by a board of Trustees.

Rick Prosser

CEO (Trustee) & Management Team

Rick is incredibly passionate about Newcastle and its people. His leadership has been a catalytic in pioneering church, community and civic partnerships over decades across the region – for which he’s been widely recognised. It’s with Rick’s guidance and heart that Soul has become the much-loved charity it is today.

Howard Mole

Trustee, Events & Management Team

Originally a country lad with a career in farming, Howard moved into youth work then landscaping before becoming a Salvation Army minister, where he spent 20 years working as manager of a welfare centre. He acts as the points leader for our major fundraiser, Sleepout for Soul, and sits on the Management Team.

Anthony Cummins

Trustee

Outdoor-man Anthony has over ten years’ experience in accounting and currently works as a Senior Financial Accountant at a large Not-For-Profit in Newcastle. Wanting to use his skill set to help the vulnerable of our city, he started providing accounting support to Soul in March 2017 and became a Trustee the following year.

Linda Rolland

Trustee

Linda is the newest addition to our trustee team. She’s had a passion for helping the marginalised and disadvantaged from an early age and currently works as a program manager supporting children with disabilities or delays and their families. She has diplomas in social science and teaching and a quirky sense of humour!

Tonya Huen

Trustee

Tonya loves what Soul is about as she has always had a soft heart for the marginalised, lost and lonely.  Tonya first joined the Soul team to assist with finance/accounts in 2017. Although she left the position in 2020 to take up a full-time role with the Vocational Education and Training program of a local high school, Tonya has stayed connected with Soul. She volunteers at the annual Sleepout for Soul and Life@Soul volunteer appreciation events! In 2022, Tonya became a Trustee.

Graham Clothier

Trustee

Graham, a resident of Newcastle, has been married for 42 years and has two children and six grandchildren. He has dedicated 23 years to various Not-for-Profit Board roles, including positions with C3 Victory Church Executive Board, Victory OOSH, and Victory Care services. With 20 years of experience as a Chairperson, Graham is well-versed in leading these entities. Throughout his 40-year career, he has held management positions in major corporations, specializing in Project Delivery and Business Improvement. Although he is now semi-retired, Graham continues to work as a consultant. He values his time with family, grandchildren, and traveling. Graham’s passion lies in promoting good governance to ensure effective delivery of an organization’s vision and proper risk management.

Our annual reports

Our annual reports provide a summary of each year’s activities, data and statistics around the support we offer our community and stories from our guests and volunteers.

2023 Annual Report
2022 Annual Report
2021 Annual Report
2020 Annual Report
2019 Annual Report
2018 Annual Report
2017 Annual Report

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