1 July 2021
Wayside Chapel, a high-profile not-for-profit, has been a fixture of Sydney’s eastern suburbs since 1964, when it threw open its doors to support people who had, quite literally, fallen by the wayside. Founded by humanitarian Reverend Ted Noffs — who also founded Sydney’s first Drug Referral Centre and was involved in the creation of what would eventually become Lifeline — its situation was precarious. Government funding traditionally comprises only 15 per cent of its income, putting significant reliance on donor support. In 2019, it had experienced a loss and was expecting another shortfall even before the pandemic hit.
