Our Mission 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. Our preferred option in this mission of service is to work with the disadvantaged in development, by respecting their dignity, sharing our hope and encouraging them to take control of their own destiny.
Our History Frederic Ozanam - Founder The St Vincent de Paul Society was founded in Paris in 1833 by Frederic Ozanam. At the time Frederic was 20 years old and a student at Sorbonne University. Frederic along with fellow university colleagues wanted to respond in a practical way to the poverty and hardship France was experiencing. The students formed a group and began visiting people in their homes offering them friendship and support. The practice known as Home Visitation remains the core activity of the St Vincent de Paul Society today. This group formed by Frederic later became known as the first conference of St Vincent de Paul Society in honour of the Saint of Charity. Frederic Ozanam died in 1853, aged 40.
St Vincent de Paul - Patron The Patron of the Society is St Vincent de Paul who was born in Southern France in 1581 and ordained a Priest at the age of 19. There was no form of poverty physical, emotional or spiritual, which St Vincent de Paul did not try to alleviate. He devoted his life to helping the disadvantaged.
The Society in Western Australia
Our Work Since 1865, the St Vincent de Paul Society in Western Australia has been helping people in need by offering them a hand up, not a hand out. The work of the Society in Western Australia falls into two categories - Conferences and Special Works.
Conferences The Society’s members, known as Vincentians, and volunteers form small parish-based groups that make up the membership of the Society, the groups are called conferences. Conferences deliver the core work of the Society by assisting people in their homes through Home Visitations, which foster an atmosphere of dignity, trust and respect. Conference members provide assistance with food, material aid, budget advice, utility bills, advocacy issues as well as offering friendship and support.
Special Works Special Works is the name given to any professional service that arises out of need which cannot be met within the normal scope and works of a conference. Special Works are managed and supported by a team of Society members, volunteers and paid employees. Special Works focus on lessening the social, economical and political pressures placed on disadvantaged people living in the community. There are 10 Special Works in Western Australia which are featured on the inside of this brochure. For further information please phone the St Vincent de Paul Society on (08) 9475 5400.
The first conference of the St Vincent de Paul Society in Western Australia was founded on 8 December 1865. This conference was called the Perth Conference and began to carry out the core work of the Society in this state. There are now in excess of 70 conferences state wide with over 900 members giving their time in kind to help those in need.
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Dignity Comfort St Vincent de Paul, Patron Saint of Charity.
NB: Cover photo courtesy of Community Newspaper Group
“Extend mercy towards others. So that there can be no one in need whom you meet without helping.”
For welfare assistance in the metropolitan area please call 1300 794 054. Email: info@svdpwa.org.au Telephone: (08) 9475 5400 Facsimile: (08) 9475 5499
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St Vincent de Paul Society (WA) Inc Ozanam House, 76 Abernethy Road, Belmont WA 6104 PO BOX 473, Belmont WA 6984
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Donation Hotline: 13 18 12 Online Donations: www.vinnies.org.au
Blessed Frederic Ozanam, Founder of the St Vincent de Paul Society
“The strongest bond of true friendship is charity, and the exercise of good charity is the practice of good works.” Please call 9475 5400 for more information. • Become a Corporate Partner • Leave a Bequest • Make a Material Donation • Make a Financial Donation • Become a Member • Become a Volunteer
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The Society’s services will continue to grow and support disadvantaged people through the generosity of the Western Australian community. You can help change someone’s story in the following ways:
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Support Our Work
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Refugee & Migrant Support
The Clothing & Furniture Depot located in Osborne Park is the main receipt and distribution point for material donations to the Society. Donations are used for welfare distribution, as retail sale items in the Vinnies Retail Centres, or sold for a wide range of uses including industrial cleaning rags and export to Third World countries.
This program welcomes and assists refugees & migrants with settling into their new home in Western Australia. Support provided includes the provision of household goods, emergency clothing and advocacy. The Support Program is run through the work of the Refugee & Migrant Committee that arrange activities to help make the transition into a new life in Australia a happy and comfortable one. One particular activity the Committee organises is the bi-annual ‘Welcome to Australia Picnic’ which allows newly arrived families a chance to come together and support each other in their new surroundings.
Household Formation Support
Social Justice Advocacy The St Vincent de Paul Society is committed to enriching the lives of those experiencing hardship by advocating for a fair and equal community. The Society is dedicated to raising awareness and encouraging an understanding of social justice issues within the community through the development of programs and initiatives, such as the Family Friends Program, that offers assistance to single parent families. Following the Society’s mission and with long term goals in mind, issues are discussed through the Society’s Social Justice Committee who work hard to raise awareness and tackle new projects of great need within local communities.
Vincentcare
The Clothing & Furniture Depot is also responsible for operating the Household Formation Support initiative, which is a Commonwealth Government funded program. This program helps to settle newly arrived refugees in the community with household goods.
Vincentcare provides accommodation and ‘support with dignity’ to people who have a mental illness and people who are experiencing homelessness. We encourage them to maintain their independence and develop life skills. The Vincentcare Community Integration Program (V.I.P) provides individuals with an opportunity to be involved in activities that assists them to build to an independent and rewarding life in the community.
Overseas Partnerships & Development The Society is committed to providing support and assistance to developing countries in the Asia and Oceania region in the following three ways – financially, spiritually and by correspondence. Links with our partner countries help strengthen relationships and enrich cultural exchange. The Society in Western Australia fundraises for overseas countries living in poverty and supports projects that include cow and goat banks and self help projects such as the provision of sewing machines for women so they can produce an income to support their families and community.
Passages Resource Centre
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Vinnies Retail Centres
Passages Resource Centre is a joint venture between the Rotary Club of Perth and the St Vincent de Paul Society in Western Australia. Passages Resource Centres is a drop in centre for homeless and street present youth between the ages of 12 and 25. Services include kitchen, bathroom and laundry facilities, mail collection, phone and internet access, informal counselling, information workshops and advocacy.
School Support Program
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The School Support Program directly assists young people with school and education related expenses including uniforms, books, stationery, learning resources and excursion and school fees. The program assists disadvantaged young people in improving their learning skills and self esteem by providing them with the necessary tools to learn.
Vinnies Retail Centres provide goods that assist with welfare support through Home Visitations and provide a well priced quality shopping alternative for the community. The Vinnies Retail Centres rely solely on donated goods from the general public. Goods sold in the Centres such as clothing, books, collectables, manchester, bric-a-brac and furniture are sorted, priced and sold by volunteers.
Vinnies Youth Vinnies Youth provide recreational activities and educational support for disadvantaged children in a safe and supportive environment. Programs include Camps, Buddy Days, Homework Centres and Roadshows. Vinnies Youth Programs are run by dedicated youth volunteers who work with disadvantage children in Perth. The volunteers dedicate their time and efforts to run programs to ensure the needs of children are met and their passion and commitment to the Society and those in need are an example to all members of the West Australian Community.
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