http://vinnies.org.au/files/VIC/Publications/General%20Brochure/2005%20General%20Brochure

St Vincent de Paul Society The St Vincent de Paul Society is a lay Catholic organisation made up of volunteers and a small number of professional staff. In Australia there are over 39,000 members extending across the nation, involved in 1,547 local parish groups known as conferences. Conference members provide assistance to people in need through home visitation and other initiatives known as special works. They meet regularly to provide mutual support, spiritual reflection and discuss how best to respond to the people they assist.

The work of the Society is funded through donations, enterprises run by the Society, and a small amount of government funding. The Society does not receive any direct funding from the Catholic Church.

The Society is democratic, with major office bearers being elected to their positions for a limited term and, like any democratic institution, its members come from a broad spectrum of economic, political, philosophical and social backgrounds.

History The St Vincent de Paul Society began in 1833 with a 20 year old French university student named Frederic Ozanam. At that time, the people of France were experiencing tremendous political and social upheaval including the French Revolution, the industrial revolution and unjust employment practices.

Ozanam gathered a group of colleagues together and began responding in practical ways to the poverty and hardship he saw around him by visiting people in their homes, offering friendship and practical support. Today this practice of ‘home visitation’ still remains a core activity for the St Vincent de Paul Society’s members and volunteers.

The Society in Australia is now over 150 years old. The first Australian conference was founded

by Fr Gerald Ward at St Francis’ Church, Lonsdale Street, Melbourne on 5 March 1854. The Society is one of the largest and most cost-effective welfare organisations in Australia.

Advocacy Advocacy on the behalf of the poor and disadvantaged is a key function of the Society. Our founder Frederic Ozanam once said: “You must not be content with tiding the poor over the poverty crisis: you must study their condition and the injustices which brought about such poverty, with the aim of a long term improvement.”

Today the Society’s national and state councils make governments aware of the difficulties being experienced by people who are marginalised and in need, and suggest initiatives which might be considered by governments to assist in alleviating these difficulties.

A national Social Justice Committee, and state committees, help communicate national and local issues to governments and media aiming to create a more compassionate and just Australian community.

St Vincent de Paul Society For many, the St Vincent de Paul Society provides a light at the end of the tunnel.

It offers assistance and a positive relationship with professional workers and volunteers but above all, it offers hope.

Organisational Structure More than 8,000 Victorian members and volunteers carry out the Society’s various activities, working together and providing assistance to approximately 600,000 people experiencing difficulties each year.

The St Vincent de Paul Society in Victoria is governed by an elected State Council consisting of 12 members, which represents 8,000 members and volunteers, and oversees the direction and strategic guidance of two ‘arms’ of the Society within Victoria.

These two arms of the Society are:

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St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. – consisting of members and volunteers assisting people in need in their local communities.

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St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services – provides specialised professional services to people in need within the Victorian community. Professional staff are supported by volunteers. St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services is a company limited by guarantee. The Society's State Council appoints the directors of St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services.

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. People: 8,000 volunteers, supported by 140 paid employees Funding: 21% funded by donations, 66% funded by Centres of Charity and other funding, 13% funded by government Much of the Society’s work is carried out through conferences, whose members visit people in their own homes and provide material assistance, support and friendship to people in need in their local area.

In 2003/2004, the Society’s conference members provided assistance valued in excess of $5 million, to over 280,000 people in Victoria through conference works alone. Throughout the state, 3,000 members and 1,200 auxiliary members volunteered their time to carry out the Society’s good works.

In order to provide this material aid, a further 3,000 volunteers worked in the Society’s 94 Victorian centres of charity (op shops) assisting with the provision of furniture, clothing and household goods, as well as raising funds to support the conference activities.

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St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services People: 550 paid professional staff, supported by 500 part time volunteers Funding: 2% funded by donations, 32% other funding, 66% funded by government St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services has grown out of initiatives and responses of Victorian conferences. This arm of the Society was established on 1 August 2003 and is largely government funded. It is staffed by professionals who have the required expertise to address the complex needs of clients.

Through St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services assistance is provided in the areas of: aged care, homelessness, outreach services, domestic violence support, drug and alcohol rehabilitation, supported employment options and health services.

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. The Society’s members and volunteers reach out to the most vulnerable in our community through our work in conferences, special works and centres of charity. These services are largely funded through independent fundraising: Conferences Home Visitation Conference members undertake home visitation to assist people in need within their local communities by extending the hand of friendship and offering practical support such as assistance with food, material aid, budget advice, utility bills and advocacy issues. These members, known as Vincentians, visit people in their homes, hospitals or prisons assisting individuals and families to remain in ‘mainstream’ community.

Young Vinnies Conferences active in schools or universities and youth conferences are known as Young Vinnies. Members are aged 18-35. Young Vinnies members are involved in conference activities such as home visitation, assisting on soup vans, tutoring programs and visiting people in nursing homes as well as organising: z z z

Kids Days Out providing an opportunity for children to enjoy activities such as going to the zoo or bowling; Kids Camps are held three times a year for 30-50 children aged 6-12 from disadvantaged backgrounds; and Roadshows provide a week of day-long activities for children in regional Victoria.

Conference – Special Works Compeer This program aims to provide friendship, advocacy and support for people living with mental illness. Compeer recruits, screens, trains and matches volunteers in one-to-one friendships with adults who are receiving treatment for mental illnesses. Volunteers spend an hour or two a week with their friend and enjoy simple social activities together such as walking, watching a movie or having a cuppa and a chat.

Migrant & Refugee The Migrant & Refugee program provides a range of services to support and assist refugees to rebuild their lives and ensures that all entrants receive basic material requirements to establish a home in their new country. This humanitarian program has serviced 872 households and provided basic household goods to 2,897 people last year.

Overseas Development The Society provides strong commitment and support to people in developing countries, fostering links and cultural exchange.

Soup Vans The Society has four soup van services staffed by 300 volunteers known as ‘Vannies’. The services operate in Collingwood, Fitzroy, Footscray and Moe and apart from providing meals; the Vannies offer genuine support and friendship to people living on the streets. The soup vans assist more than 3,700 people each week and provide over 189,000 meals each year.

Tertiary Educational Sponsorship This program assists young rural students who would like to study beyond secondary college but whose financial situation and distance from tertiary institutions limit their opportunities of continuing their studies. Students meeting the criteria are offered a one-off grant of $3,000 to assist them with accommodation or tertiary education related costs.

Centres of Charity In Victoria, 94 centres of charity (op shops) are staffed and run by approximately 3000 volunteers and 100 paid staff, providing quality clothing, furniture and household goods. The centres resource local conference activities, providing clothing or furniture free of charge, to outfit a struggling family or individual through the home visitation process. Remaining stock is sold to the public providing affordable goods and generating revenue, which helps to fund the work of the Society.

St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services manage professional welfare services focusing on aged care, homelessness and supported employment for people with a disability. The services are largely government funded but also raise funds through donations from individuals and from philanthropic trusts in order to provide additional services over and above the government funded level. With approximately 550 employees and supported by volunteers, St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services provides assistance to over 120,000 people each year through the following services: Aged Care St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services provide care and accommodation for elderly citizens through eight aged care facilities operated across Victoria (seven hostels and one nursing home), accommodating a total of 328 residents. Co-located with the Box Hill based nursing home is the Day Therapy Centre that treats an additional 90 people each week. This service also manages 53 Independent Living Units located in: Ballarat (3 units), Bendigo (30 units), Maryborough (6 units) and Mildura (14 units).

Community Services A range of accommodation and support initiatives are operated for people who experience homelessness; providing help with issues such as general health concerns, drug and alcohol abuse, unemployment, education and training options, and social exclusion and isolation. A domestic violence service in regional Victoria and a supported employment service for people with a disability in Mornington further diversify our programs.

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Ozanam House – a 63-bed facility offering 60-beds for crisis accommodation and three-beds which are contracted to St Vincent’s Hospital for homeless people exiting their emergency department.

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Quin House – a 10-bed residence for homeless men recovering from alcohol and drug addiction.

Transitional Housing Management – over 150 public housing properties are managed on behalf of the Office of Housing and offer interim housing and support to people who are homeless or experiencing a housing crisis situation.

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Support Services z

Youth Support Services – provides case management assistance and stable housing for homeless young people in Melbourne, with the aim of providing safety and security so that young people can work on rebuilding their lives.

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Adult Outreach – provides case management assistance and housing to homeless and marginalised people throughout Melbourne.

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Ozanam Community Centre – provides support to people who are homeless or at risk of homlessness, through material aid, housing support, on-site health services, skills development and community development.

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OzLink Personal Support Program – provides participants with ‘time out’ from the pressures of looking for work, to focus on and address issues that affect their ability to look for work. OzLink is funded to support over 60 participants per year.

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Marian Community – provides support and temporary housing for women and their children escaping from domestic violence.

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Ozanam Enterprises – located in Mornington, provides supported employment for people with disabilities. Over 55 people with a range of disabilities are involved in full and part-time supported employment and work skills training.

What we see Members of the St Vincent de Paul Society are often faced with confronting and difficult situations.

In our work we see… z The anxiety of a mother, at her wit’s end trying to feed her two children, under the crushing financial burden of private rental, wondering how long it will be before she falls behind on the rent and is forced to move on once more. z The loneliness of a man, wheelchair bound for over 30 years, spending his entire day without human company. z The despair of a girl in her mid twenties, curled up in the foetal position, alone, trying to shake off her drug dependency. z The resignation of a mother, stricken with diabetes, cancer and migraine, with medical costs so high that she cannot afford food for herself and her young daughter.

And we see children who are… z Bewildered after being sent off to primary school without lunch, and having had no breakfast. z Frequently changing schools, disrupting the learning process and falling behind in grades. z Going without access to advanced learning aids due to financial constraints.

And we see families… z Relying totally on government medical services, often with long delays, for health care. z With major dental problems, due to delays in treatment and distance from available services.

And we see… z The mother who arrives at a refuge late in the evening, driving an old car packed with all her worldly possessions and her three young children. They have nowhere to stay, and face another desperate night in the car. z Those lucky enough to find a place to live, isolated from friends and community, and often living in a space the size of a bathroom. With no heat or security. z Ever present hunger as people stretch out a hand for food, and for friendship.

And we see a variety of people who are… z Operating unreliable and unroadworthy vehicles, unable to afford maintenance, and with inadequate access to public transport, they have no choice but to drive the ‘old bomb’. z Dealing with pervasive anxiety over the permanence of housing, and having to move frequently especially those in a private rental situation. z Fearing the loss of services with the constant pressure of meeting utility bills.

And we hear… z ‘It’s not just a roof over my head. It’s a place where I can start addressing some of the problems I’ve got.’ z ‘It’s hard to have hope. So many times all my hope and dreams have been shattered.’

What we do We respond to people’s needs with the assistance of our volunteer members (St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc.) or professional services (St Vincent de Paul Aged Care & Community Services) in a compassionate and respectful way, reflecting the essence of our mission statement.

Mission Statement The mission of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Australia is to deepen the Catholic faith of its members and to go out into our nation to heighten awareness of Jesus Christ.

We do this by sharing ourselves – who we are, and what we have – with people in need on a person-to-person basis. We seek to co-operate in shaping a more just and compassionate Australian community, and to share our resources with our twinned countries.

Our preferred option in this mission of service is to work with people in development by respecting their dignity, sharing our hope and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny.

You can make a difference too!

Join in the passion of the Society’s members and volunteers and assist to create a more just and compassionate Australian community by: z z z

Making a credit card donation on 13 18 12 or visit www.svdp-vic.org.au Donating goods to one of the St Vincent de Paul Society’s centres of charity, call 1800 621 349 Becoming a volunteer by calling 03 9895 5800

All financial donations are tax deductible and gratefully received.

St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria Inc. ABN: 28 911 702 061 43 Prospect Street, Box Hill Vic 3128 Locked Bag 4800, Box Hill Vic 3128 Phone: 03 9895 5800 Fax: 03 9895 5850 Email: info@svdp-vic.org.au Website: www.svdp-vic.org.au

April 2005