Diocese_Of_Sandhurst_YearInReview_2021

19 Supporting our people throughout the Shepparton COVID-19 Outbreak COVID has been difficult for everyone, and the community services sector is no exception. During the COVID-19 outbreak in Shepparton, 20,000 community members (one third of the town) went into isolation, including six CCV staff. In support of our isolating staff and their families, Bendigo-based Managers worked with a local café and organised care packages to be delivered to the homes of staff to support their wellbeing. Other CCV achievements in 2021 We conducted a client survey which confirmed that, despite having the most lockdowns in Australia, nearly 93% of respondents said our service was accessible, nearly 90% said they felt listened to, and 87% would recommend our service to others. We launched several new initiatives, including: • A new CCV website and social media platforms. • Homeless to a Home consortiumwith Uniting VicTas to assist homeless people, who were provided hotel accommodation during the pandemic, to transition to safe and secure housing. This program operates in Victoria’s South West and Central Highlands and is delivered in collaboration with Centacare Housing Services who provide tenancy management. • Through subcontract funding from Foundation House, we will provide trauma and torture counselling to people from refugee and asylum seeker backgrounds in Mildura to improve their mental health outcomes. • We have partnered with Cabrini Outreach to pilot a program to help refugees and asylum seekers in Mildura to navigate the mental health system and access psycho-social supports. • With philanthropic support from Give Where you Live and Geelong Community Foundation, we have expanded our Geelong Settle Well program , providing internships to enhance employment opportunities for refugee youth. • We commenced a pilot program to provide pastoral supervision to newly ordained priests across the Archdiocese of Melbourne. With our new State-wide footprint, we were successful in several tenders, including: • Residential Care: which will see us providing an additional three homes for children and young people in Out-of-Home Care; • We received $1.36 million of additional funding for Emergency Relief (across Victoria and Tasmania) and a further $168,000 (for Melbourne) to meet the growing demand for support; • a partn rship with Villa Maria Catholic Homes for additional carer respite funding; and • Social Housing – Building Thriving Communities as part of the government’s Big Housing Build. CCV is committed to developing healthy and flourishing local communities. Part of this commitment includes identifying and addressing barriers that prevent our communities from thriving. We know from the evidence, client voices and our staff, that a barrier which often inhibits our clients from accessing the support they need to thrive is a l ck of affordable housing . Without the safety and stability of a place to call home, it is difficult to address issues around mental and physical health, unemployment, family violence, addiction, and entrenched disadvantage and poverty, and gradually move towards greater independence and self-reliance. As a state-wide organisation, CCV has the capacity to offer good quality, well-located and affordable housing combined with appropriate wrap-around services and community integration. • In 2021, $32.5 million was awarded to Centacare HousingServices (CHS) , asubsidiaryof CatholicCare Victoria, as part of the government’s Big Housing Build. The funding enables the development of 148 new properties across eight sites by the end of 2023. The expansion of our social housing services will build a foundation for our services across the organisation to work together to create thriving communities. • Through CHS, CCV is committed to becoming a state-wide community partner with the Victorian Government to deliver their 10-year Social Housing Plan with a focus on Regional Victoria. The Catholic Church has a long tradition of supporting social services through collaborative partnerships, and we are working with a number of parishes across the state to evaluate the suitability of land for social housings. What are the priorities for CCV going forward? CCV is currently developing a five-year Strategic Plan and will finalise our strategic direction over coming months. John Sheldon, Chair of CatholicCare Victoria said, “ We are looking to expand our services to meet the unfulfilled demands of our clients and to reach those who we perhaps have not been able to in the past. Whether that be through a stronger geographic reach or greater access to funds to allow us to expand our service offerings – as a larger and stronger organisation – we must use this strength to advocate for those most in need. That is our challenge, and one which I am sure we all accept with hope and enthusiasm .” All in all, that’s a lot to celebrate! We thank our staff, volunteers, and supporters for their part in our journey so far – and we look forward to 2022 with hope and optimism that we will continue to make a difference for the communities we serve. Ms Agnes Sheehan Chief Executive Officer CatholicCare Victoria REPORTS