Newsletter of the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland | Autumn 2009
THE CAUSE OF INJUSTICE VoRTCS BUDDIES DAYS HELPING STORM VICTIMS CITIZEN OF THE YEAR CHILD, FAMILY & DISABILITY PROGRAM
Landmark project to get families back on track
P
lease, can you help? It was a phone call the volunteers of the St Vincent de Paul Society are used to receiving.
“After some investigation we found that the situation was far worse than anyone could ever have imagined”
At that time, the Gold Coast’s two emergency accommodation facilities, Blair Athol at Coolangatta and Still Waters at Arundel, were turning away 4000 people in a year. In 2009, it is expected the same facilities will turn away about 6200 people. Queensland has the second highest population of homeless, with recent figures showing a steady increase to approximately 27,000 today. John Millsom, a local Vincentian, set out with another local, Steve Murray, in the true spirit of Vincentians: to visit the homeless in their ‘homes’ to find out what should be done. “After some investigation, we found that the situation was far worse than anyone could ever have imagined,” Millsom said. “We soon realised that to truly make a difference to these people’s lives, we needed to give them a home, not just a roof over their heads.
Single father, three children, no place to go. The difference this time: a councillor was making the call. Six years ago, a Mudgeeraba conference on Queensland’s Gold Coast received a call from a local councillor who had a family in crisis standing before her with no emergency accommodation readily available. The desperation of a family turning to a politician as a last resort was a warning the Society could not ignore.
“Clearly, there was no point in giving them a room for a few nights, then sending them back out to the street or back to the cycle of couch surfing at friends.” The St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland’s Families Back on Track (FBOT) project aims to construct 27 units of accommodation to actively combat homelessness in the SouthEast Queensland area. (continues page 2...)
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Landmark project to get families back on track (continued from page 1) The project, based at Arundel on the Gold Coast, will house up to 108 homeless single parents and their children, with two units allocated for families with disabilities, and a service delivery centre. “You may be lucky to find one bed to spend the night in,” Millsom said, “but imagine if you had a family you needed to give shelter to also.”
Dear friends It is a great pleasure to introduce you to the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland’s new publication, Making a difference. Within these pages, we hope to paint a vivid picture of the good works of the Society in Queensland.
State President of the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland, John Campbell, said the significance of the project is not just that it will house a significant number of families with nowhere else to go, it will offer also a myriad of vital programs to those living there to ensure they receive the necessary skills and support to break the cycle of homelessness. “These services will include drug, alcohol and gambling addiction assistance, counselling, childhood education, parenting classes, cooking and hygiene classes and debt reduction through budget counselling,” Campbell said.
From our work with disadvantaged youth, to helping break the cycle of homelessness through innovative housing solutions, fighting for social justice, and through our range of diverse Special Works, the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland truly is helping to provide a ‘hand up, not just a hand out’. Peace,
John Campbell State President St Vincent de Paul Society Qld Please forward correspondence to: Editor Making a difference St Vincent de Paul Society Qld PO Box 3351 South Brisbane QLD 4101
“We will help parents achieve the skills necessary to live independently and remove themselves from the welfare system, giving their children the best chance for a positive future.” Residents will be encouraged to stay for a period necessary to complete the programs, and to ensure residents only leave when they feel ready to do so.
T: 07 3010 1000 F: 07 3010 1099 E: communications@svdpqld.org.au
FBOT is extraordinary as it marks the first joint government and not for profit housing of its kind in Australia. The success of FBOT on the Gold Coast will mean the project may be replicated throughout the State, and throughout Australia.
For more information, please visit www.vinnies.org.au/qld
Millsom sees FBOT as just the first step in breaking the cycle of homelessness.
To donate call 13 18 12 or visit www.vinnies.org.au
The St Vincent de Paul Society is committed to solving the problem of homelessness through providing not just a house to those in need, but a home.
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Finding the cause of injustice and working towards long term solutions The St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland’s Social Justice Committee is driven to address the cause of injustice throughout local communities. The Committee, currently made up of 88 Members from throughout Queensland, is chaired by Noosa resident Robert Leach.
“The challenges are many and they keep coming”
“The challenges are many, and they keep coming,” Robert said, listing the housing and rental crisis, short term money lending, poker machine harm minimisation, the credit crisis, visa issues, pension issues, and energy costs amongst the committee’s priorities. Of these, Robert draws special attention at present to poker machine harm minimisation and the rising cost of electricity and gas. Regarding poker machines, Robert said, “The government has already implemented some harm minimisation measures and a Productivity Commission Inquiry into the gambling industry has begun. “The task of the Social Justice Committee is to maintain pressure to ensure effective protections for low socio-economic communities, individuals with addictions and those among the poor who play the pokies hoping to solve their financial problems.” The cost of electricity and gas is rising at alarming rates and there are concerns about the impact on low income households. “The Society has, over the past few years, pushed for a voucher system to alleviate energy costs and for a short time one was put in place – and it worked well, however the government then brought in a more complex system resulting, sadly, in reduced access to assistance.”
Robert has identified a number of critical issues that have been addressed by the committee in recent times through active dialogue with local and State governments, and community organisations like the Queensland Council of Social Services, the Pensioner Association, and the Queensland Consumers Association. Newsletter o
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These issues, amongst others, will drive the committee into 2009. “Charity is providing people with the help they need at a particular time of need, while justice is insisting on their entitlements, their rights, on a permanent basis,” Robert said. “Justice involves finding the cause of the problem and working towards a long term solution.” vinnies.org.au •
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VoRTCS The Volunteer Refugee Tutoring and Community Support Program (‘VoRTCS’) is one of the St Vincent de Paul Society’s Queensland most innovative and unique ‘special works’.
Bonheur with his tutor Tegwen
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he program works to link up volunteer tutors with refugee families to help them learn basic English skills, and thus empower members of the refugee community to be able to take up the educational, social and vocational opportunities available to all Australians. During 2007/08, the operation of the VoRTCS tutoring program expanded to its present number of over 950 volunteer tutors providing weekly assistance to 300 refugee families across South-East Queensland. Recently, the VoRTCS team was awarded a Pride of Australia award for their achievements in the category of Peace.
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Stats Total families tutored: 300 Total active tutors: 950 Hours of volunteering: 64,000 for the year Engagement with nationalities: over 20 World Refugee Day participants: over 11,000 For more information on how you can be involved with VoRTCS, call the VoRTCS team on 07 3010 1070 or email info@refugeetutoring.org
Buddies Days
Who we are
T
he Buddies Days program aims to offer support to disadvantaged children by giving children a safe and enjoyable day out once a month.
Blue card registered volunteers take children on outings to places and venues they would not normally be able to go to. These group activity based days provide opportunities for disadvantaged children within the community to have some fun. The program is open to children between the ages of 7-13 years, and is currently operating in Inala, Logan, Gold Coast, Cairns, the Redlands, Bundaberg, Rockhampton and Townsville areas. Children are paired with volunteer leaders, usually aged between 16 and 35 years old. In recent years, the program has enjoyed the generous support of the Brisbane Broncos, who hold a St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland match once a year. If you would like more information about volunteering for Buddies Days, please contact the Youth department on 07 3010 1022 or email youth@svdpqld.org.au
Quick news The Society was successful in receiving a grant in Queensland’s Q150 celebrations to put together an archive of our history in helping the community since 1894. An onsite library will be worked on throughout 2009.
Helping out the victims of the November storms in Brisbane’s West A total of $17,500 was raised by the Society in aid of those affected by the devastating storms that struck Brisbane’s western suburbs mid November. We were overwhelmed by the generosity of the community both through donations, and gift-in-kind. Local Vincentians continue to work with those affected.
Award for Vinnies worker Maryborough Family Intervention Service worker Jo King was awarded a 2009 Hervey Bay Australia Day award for her contribution to her community. Even though Jo has been diagnosed with breast cancer and is undergoing treatment, she continues her caring work on the streets of Hervey Bay in addition to her work with Vinnies. f the St Vincent de Pau
The St Vincent de Paul Society aspires to be recognised as a caring Catholic charity, offering a ‘hand up’ to people in need. We do this by respecting their dignity, sharing our hope and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny.
Mission statement The St Vincent de Paul Society is a lay Catholic organisation that aspires to live the gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy, and by working to shape a more just and compassionate society.
Did you know? For the 2007 / 2008 financial year…
Our tradition of care
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Vision statement
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vinnies.org.au •
e helped over 380,000 W Queenslanders in need inancial assistance given to families F has risen by 19% to $6.6 million amilies who contact the Society for F help has risen by 16% to 160,000 otal value of services for people in T need has risen by 15% to $15.2 million he Society assisted 86,979 families T between the ages of 25 and 44
Facts about Vinnies he St Vincent de Paul Society has T been helping Queenslanders in need since 1894 oday we have 215 Conferences T (branches) throughout the state e have nearly 5000 volunteers W and over 2,500 members
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Child, Family & Disability Whether it is through helping children stay with their families, providing counselling to parents or caring for people with disabilities, the St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland’s Child & Family Program and Disability Service continue to make a difference in the lives of hundreds of Queensland families.
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ith services on the Gold Coast, Brisbane, Sunshine Coast, Gympie, and Maryborough, in the last twelve months, the Child & Family Program has assisted almost 500 children in the last 12 months. Program manager Ray Snell said the families his staff saw often felt they were “at the end of the road.” “By the time we see these families, we know that if we can’t help the situation, then their children may well be taken into care or, in some circumstances, their children who are already in care will not be able to return home safely,” Ray said. The program operates in partnership with the Department of Child Safety, and the Department of Communities and has 26 employed staff and a team of around 50 “We work with families volunteers to provide counselling, every step of the way, therapy and support both in the client’s home and in our centres. and do everything we
The next step involved an assessment of the suitability of his residence as a home for Isabella. After a worker assessed his place, it was deemed inappropriate, and so David decided to move in with his mother.
can to make a real A large part of the program’s work involves the Stronger Families difference in their lives” volunteer program. St Vincent de Paul Then with the assistance of another Society volunteers are provided with training and Child & Family Program volunteer, David continued to ongoing supervision and visit families in their homes in learn the necessary practical skills that he would need as pairs, under the guidance of qualified professionals. a ‘new parent’, such as hygiene, nutrition and how to An example of the work of the program is that of ‘David’, play with his daughter. After a reunification plan was a single father to eighteen month-old ‘Isabella’, who was devised with the Department, and following a period of assisted for a period of six months: sustained support from both staff and volunteers, the Department of Child Safety granted him sole custody of David had no other children, and had not had contact his daughter. with his eighteen month-old daughter Isabella since birth, when he was informed that his child had been removed from her mother and placed in foster care. At that stage the Department of Child Safety had assessed that it would not be safe for her to return to her mother, and long term foster care was considered an option. David began to have supervised contact with his daughter, and through working with volunteers at his local Child & Family Program centre, he gained confidence and the ability to interact with her.
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Often times, the program works in partnership with local St Vincent de Paul conferences to provide food and financial assistance to help alleviate the immediate suffering before addressing the deeper issues. “Some families in crisis are often not only in a state of turmoil through addictions or abuse in one form or another, but they are often facing multiple deprivations, through being unable to provide for their family’s basic needs, like food, electricity or rent,” Ray said.
The Society’s disability services, based in Toowoomba, consists of three accredited houses for adults with a disability and provides support and accommodation for 13 people with disabilities, working in partnership with Disability Services Queensland. “We are looking to establish a ‘Friends of the Service’ network,” Ray said. “When you have a group of eager, enthusiastic people all wishing to participate in a range of different activities, and only one staff member, you simply can’t do it all, and the risk is that our resident’s choices then become restricted. “We recognise that this isn’t the way it should be – we want those we support to be empowered to be able to make their own decisions, and choices, and so we hope to be able to put together a team of volunteers to help them do this. “These volunteers would be ‘mentors’ to individual people with disabilities and assist them to get out and participate in the community, and enjoy more of the freedoms and opportunities that most of us take for granted.” Ray hopes that the time his volunteers and staff spend assisting those in need will in turn ensure family units are repaired and restored, and people living with a disability can live with dignity and self-sufficiency. In the next twelve months, the program hopes to expand further to be able to assist more families, but this can only be done with the generosity of the public, and through the continued support of government. “We work with families every step of the way, and do everything we can to make a real difference in their lives. We give people with a disability the support they need to live life with independence and to reach their full potential,” Ray said. If you would like more information about volunteering for the Child, Family and Disability Program, please contact Ray Snell on 3807 6623 or email ray.snell@svdpqld.org.au. If you would like to donate to the program, please call 13 18 12, visit www.vinnies.org.au/qld, or send your donation to CFDP at St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland, PO Box 3351 South Brisbane, 4101.
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FAQs If I donate money, does it actually go to people who need it? When you donate to a specific special work, we ensure that it goes directly to where you want it to go. The Society prides itself on ensuring that all funds donated are used specifically for what they are intended. We have some of the lowest administration costs of any other Australian charity because of our huge volunteer base.
Can anyone volunteer or be a Member? The Society welcomes volunteers and Members from all walks of life, regardless of their religion.
Is the St Vincent de Paul Society funded by the Queensland State government? The core work of the Society is carried out by Members and volunteers, and does not receive government funding. This includes things like home visitation and our Vinnies Centres (shops). However, some of the Society’s special works do receive money from the government, and this includes things like homeless support services and family care programs. Less than twenty percent of our income is from government.
ecome a Member of a Conference B (local branch) Volunteer Make a financial donation Make a gift-in-kind Make a bequest For more information please contact the state office on
07 3010 1000 or email: state.admin@svdpqld.org.au
vinnies.org.au •
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Something practical you can do today to help change their story Please send to: St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland PO Box 3351 South Brisbane Qld 4101
Thank you for your donation. Gifts to St Vincent de Paul Society Queensland are tax deductible.