CEO Update
Dear Friends,
It’s Homelessness Week, so what better time to relaunch “Welcome News” – St Mary’s House of Welcome’s bi-monthly newsletter keeping you up to date with what’s going on in our wonderful community!
Despite our best hopes, 2021 has continued to be a year of uncertainty and upheaval for us all due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic. I am very pleased to say that, against the backdrop of ongoing restrictions and on-again-off-again lockdowns, St Mary’s House of Welcome continues to adapt our services as required to fit the needs of the many men and women who rely on us. The health and safety of our staff and service users are, as always, a priority and we continue to follow strict COVID-safe protocols.
Right now, as Victoria cautiously eases out of its latest lockdown, we are offering hot showers and a warm breakfast to those sleeping rough from 9-11am. Then, from 1-3pm, we continue to distribute Welcome Relief takeaway meal packs to our vulnerably-housed and disadvantaged community members. We are providing outreach and program support to our NDIS participants, and referrals and crisis support through our Homelessness Team. St Mary’s House of Welcome is proud to have been able to stay open and be flexible in these uncertain times. With the backing of our wonderful donors, we will continue to reassess and support our vulnerable community through-out these challenging times and beyond.
Covid-19 aside, there are so many exciting things happening here right now at St Mary’s House of Welcome. We are currently working hard on ensuring we are meeting all of our quality standards in preparation for upcoming re-accreditation of the Homelessness Program. We are very proud to have recently successfully completed a Quality Audit of the NDIS program and been re-registered as a provider with the NDIS.
We are also excited to announce our new partnership with Australian Catholic University (ACU). Together, with ACU and other not-for-profits in the space, we will be assisting with research on the impacts of the COVID-19 pandemic on those experiencing homelessness, and how organisations can do better to respond to existing needs. Another research project we are undertaking in partnership with ACU involves examining - and eliminating - the barriers that exist which prevent people from accessing homelessness programs. We cannot wait to share the findings with you.
From an Operations point of view, St Mary’s House of Welcome is experiencing growth in both our NDIS and Homelessness Teams. We are very excited to become more dynamic and, of course, be able to support more individuals in our community.
As previously mentioned, we have reopened our dining hall for breakfast. We have also received a grant to remodel our upstairs kitchen for training and program purposes. Our volunteers, the heart of our organisation, are back! There are lots of opportunities to get involved as a volunteer. If you are interested in learning more, please reach out to us! We are also very pleased to host our Pancake Days again for our school visits and tours.
As we look towards the coming months, not much is certain. But one thing you can count on is that – with your help – we will continue to respond to need where we see it. Our mission and values remain alive and central to our work.
I would like to thank you for the amazing support and encouragement you provide as one of our loyal friends. As a small organisation that relies on fundraising and donations from the community to fund 40 per cent of what we do, I can’t tell you how much your contributions mean to us! On behalf of all those we help, thank you!
Kind regards,
Robina Bradley, Chief Executive Officer