CHAIR’S REPORT

But what made this year unique is that our response was against the backdrop of COVID-19. As the first full year since the pandemic began, the way we responded to our community was altered. We had to be more innovative in our service delivery and increasingly use technology to connect. We had to be agile to continue to support people in the constantly changing environment. And we had to be resilient in the face of the challenges the pandemic brought. This innovation, agility and resilience affected our organisation at all levels, from the decisions being made by the Board to the way teams delivered services on the ground. However, nobody was more affected than our strong values. On behalf of the UnitingSA Board, I thank Libby for her years of service and wish her all the best in retirement.

In June, we welcomed our new Chief Executive Officer Jenny Hall. Jenny brings a wealth of experience to the role, which will be invaluable as we continue to evolve in response to community need and sector change. Jenny’s appointment marks an exciting new chapter for UnitingSA and the Board looks forward to working closely together to lead the organisation into the future.

and innovate to enhance client outcomes. UnitingSA has been selected as the Alliance lead agency, and we are excited about what we can collectively achieve in this essential area.

Other highlights throughout the year centred on building for our community. We recognise a lack of affordable housing is a critical issue in our state and are committed to contributing positive housing outcomes to address this need. We built new social and affordable housing projects in Kurralta Park and Ferryden Park, and progressed plans for developments in Prospect, Kidman Park and Noarlunga Downs.

Looking back across the year, three words come to mind – respond, transition and position.

Respond is something our organisation has done for more than 100 years. Our reason for being is to respond to community need and this year was no different. We continued to respond to the need for housing, financial and emergency assistance, mental health and disability support, and quality care for people as they age. We connected people with training, education and employment, and helped them to address life challenges and reach their goals. frontline staff, who dealt with the extra complexities COVID-19 brought to their work and the lives of those they support each day. I want to say a special thank you to these workers for continuing to show up when things got tough, and for always prioritising the needs of our community.

Transition can be used to describe several aspects of the year but the biggest factor was our change in Chief Executive Officer. After more than 25 years with UnitingSA and almost 15 years at the helm, Libby Craft announced her retirement in February. Under Libby’s leadership, UnitingSA grew from a workforce of 350 people to more than 1000. She oversaw the expansion and development of our housing, aged care and community services and led with the organisation’s That brings me to the final word to describe the year – position. This speaks to the incredible amount of work and the many achievements that have positioned us well for the future. While the key projects are varied, the majority lead back to the critical human need for shelter. Not just any shelter, but safe, affordable, appropriate accommodation to suit people’s individual circumstances.

One of the highlights in this area was the formation of a new Homelessness Alliance. Through the state’s homelessness reforms, we partnered with six other providers in the north-west to successfully tender to deliver homelessness services across the region from 1 July 2021. The SA Housing Authority is a key Alliance partner and we will work together to plan service delivery, respond to emerging needs, We also recognise the need for quality, appropriate accommodation for older people in our community and were excited in March to complete the biggest capital development ever undertaken by our organisation. UnitingSA West Lakes is a five-storey aged care complex at the former Football Park site. It offers a blend of Retirement Living and Residential Aged Care to support people along the ageing continuum. We are incredibly proud of the project, which sets the benchmark for our future aged care developments.

Other important work undertaken this year to position us for the future was the development of our Reconciliation Action Plan and our next Strategic Plan. Significant time was spent developing the plans to ensure they provide clear direction, measurable outcomes, and that they lead to greater community impact. We look forward to releasing and implementing the plans in the coming year.

At the Board level, we farewelled long-serving member Gary Wilson in December after 21 years. When Gary first joined the Board, we were known as the Port Adelaide Central Mission and he continued his service through our transition to UnitingCare Wesley Port Adelaide and UnitingSA.

His contribution to the organisation throughout this time has been extremely valuable and on behalf of the Board and leadership team, I sincerely thank Gary for his service. In Gary’s place we welcomed Christine Hahn, who has been a member of our Finance and Audit Committee for the past two years. The knowledge she brings to our Board will be a huge asset moving forward.

Finally, on behalf of the Board, I would like to thank every member of the UnitingSA community for your contribution this year. To our Executive Team for leading with values and vision, our staff and volunteers for working with compassion and integrity, our community partners for collaborating to create impact, and to our donors for your ongoing and invaluable support.

You should all be proud of what has been achieved. I look forward to continuing to work together as we pursue our vision for a compassionate, respectful and just community in which all people participate and flourish.

GAEL FRASER

Board Chair