The A NEWSLETTER FROM THE ST VINCENT DE PAUL SOCIETY (WA) Inc.
March • 2009
Vinnies Warns of Tough Times Ahead but is Comforted by Strong Community Support
W
ith a great deal of uncertainty surrounding the globe in terms of the world’s economy, it is important to look locally and see that problems highlighted on a global level, are very much present in our own community. The global economic crisis is posing many questions that can only be answered in time, including – How many people will lose their jobs? How many pensioners will struggle? How many people on the verge of homelessness will fall into further disadvantage? And finally, where will these people turn to when they have nowhere else to go? The answer for many Australians will be to call upon the St Vincent de Paul Society to provide the necessities of life including shelter, food and clothing when it is needed most. Over 175,000 people were assisted by the Society in Western Australia last year, showing that although we still have rough times ahead there are many families already living in despair. Sadly, at a time when WA’s ‘boom has bust’ and unemployment rates are set to rise to 7% by 2010, we are left bracing for a difficult 12 months ahead. Lucinda Ardagh, Media Spokesperson for the Society in WA says community support is needed now more than ever, “We will find that people who ordinarily would have never sought out assistance will need to turn to Vinnies for help. We need to plan and brace ourselves for what the next 12 months will bring and we urge our supporters and donors who can assist to please continue supporting the Society, as we anticipate those that have always needed our help may fall
Inside
further below the poverty line and see emerging demographics reach out for help,” Lucinda said. Slight relief seems to be on its way with the Society’s National Chief Executive Officer Dr John Falzon recently welcoming Government support for low income earners in Australia with a second stimulus package announced in February giving out cash bonus payments. “We are relatively happy with the balance of the stimulus directed at low income Australians, either through training, job creation, one off cash payments and/or investments in social infrastructure,” Dr John Falzon said.
Vinnies brace themselves for tough times ahead
The St Vincent de Paul Society will – as it always has – survive on the goodwill and generosity from those who continue supporting the ‘Good Works’ that have been servicing Western Australia since 1865. The recent Christmas Appeal raised $570,000 with a further $150,000 worth of goods in kind that will filter directly back into the WA community and fuel the Society’s Special Works that operate by responding to needs identified in the community. These include, Home Visitation, the core work of the Society, addressing people’s needs within their homes, Vincentcare, helping those experiencing homelessness and mental illness, Passages Resource Centre, providing services to street present
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youth, Vinnies Youth Programs, giving disadvantaged youth a chance to smile, Migrant and Refugee Support to newly arrived families and Social Justice initiatives to continue advocating for the disadvantaged and marginalised. “The people of WA never let us down with donations and trust the Society to use their donations wisely. We urge the WA community to continue supporting Vinnies in any way they can and assure them that all money raised in WA stays in WA to help local people and families get the help they need in the tough times ahead,” Lucinda concluded. *Information in this article relating to the Federal Government stimulus package was correct at time of printing.
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