Uniting Vic.Tas

“I have never thought of myself as a carer…I was just someone that was there for my family when I had to be”. Ava is in Year 12, and cares for her sister Lily alongside her mum. “Being a carer is something that has been so ingrained in my life from such a young age” she says, “it’s like having an extra variable for everything, something to factor into everything I decide to do”. Ava has been supported by Support for Carers to receive equipment that will help her finish Year 12, and has provided extra support for her mum. "It means a lot to me knowing that my mum and sister are supported and have people out there who actually want to help them. (It has) significantly reduced some of the stress I have about how mum's mental health is." This week we celebrated Carers Week, acknowledging the millions of unpaid Australian carers that support family and loved ones. Their support and contributions often go unnoticed, and care takes place around the many other commitments that carers need to juggle. Carers touch so many lives - you are one, know one, or will be one. #NCW25 #CarersVictoria #CareForACarer

Every day more people like Adara are struggling to support themselves and their families. This Anti-Poverty Week she's joining us in calling on the Federal Government to raise the rate of income support payments. #RaisetheRate #AntiPovertyWeek #APW24 #EndChildPoverty #FairHousingFuture

Over 80% of Australians support decriminalization of cannabis and 1 in 10 Victorians have used cannabis in the last year. In our work we see the long-term impact on people convicted of possession or cannabis use. This stigma and discrimination affects their ability to get a job, volunteer and stay connected to their community. Earlier this year the Victorian Parliament's Legal and Social Issues Committee recommended the Victorian Government draw on the experience of the ACT in successfully decriminalising the cultivation and possession of small quantities of cannabis for personal use. We're calling on the Victorian Government to reconsider decriminalization and prioritise the health of Victorians. By adopting an evidence based approach to drug use which will also bring Victorian drug policy in line with community expectations and attitudes.

In Australia 1 in 7 people and 1 in 6 children live in poverty. This Anti-Poverty week we're calling for action now. Real action to solve poverty, like raising the rate of government payments. #AntiPovertyWeek #APW24 #EndChildPoverty #RaisetheRate #FairHousingFuture

This week, we celebrated 10 years of CareRing 💜 Since 2015 the program has provided support to more than 14,000 households. CareRing was developed to empower consumers experiencing a range of social and financial vulnerabilities. Wrapping a ‘ring’ of support around the consumer, CareRing provides one-on-one case management to address concerns head-on. This may include financial counselling and money management, support following family violence, homelessness, parenting and carer concerns, ill health, substance misuse and home utility/energy use. This is made possible by partnering with financial institutions, utility providers, insurance agencies, telcos and other corporations. We’d like to take this opportunity to thank the CareRing team and recognise the significant impact they have on consumers every day. We would also like to acknowledge our partner organisations who share our values in approaching consumer vulnerability with bold compassion. Happy birthday CareRing!

Tune in to Janet and Tali from our Voices Vic program on the Get Real podcast by Ermha Ltd. They share their personal journeys with hearing voices, challenging stigma and shedding light on an experience that affects up to 1 in 10 people. Voices Vic is a peer-led program supporting people who hear voices, see visions, or have other sensory experiences. Through recovery groups, mentoring, and statewide support, we help individuals build skills, shift their relationship with voices, and reclaim power in their lives. https://lnkd.in/g2Qn92vg #MentalHealth #VoiceHearing #PeerSupport #LivedExperience #CommunityServices

Asking for help takes courage. It’s one of the hardest steps someone can take, but also one of the most important. No one should feel they have to face gambling harm on their own.

We were pleased to welcome the Federal Member for Macnamara, Josh Burns MP to our Hartley's community meals program and emergency relief service in Prahran this week. He met our wonderful chef Chaminda, our Team Leader Bryce Bronstein and Senior Manager, Nellie Jackson. We discussed the importance of sharing meals as a powerful mechanism for enhancing community connection and improving wellbeing. Over the past year, Hartley's has provided 35,992 main meals and our emergency relief centre supported nearly 1000 people, one-third of whom had never accessed a service of this kind before.

We welcome the announcement by the Essential Services Commission and Minister for Energy, Lily D'Ambrosio on reforms to Victoria’s energy consumer protections. These reforms place the responsibility on retailers to better support vulnerable and disadvantaged customers and will improve the lives of thousands of Victorians on low incomes. Uniting Vic.Tas, together with our sector colleagues, have been long-term advocates for improved consumer protections including raising the minimum debt threshold for disconnection and ensuring retailers automatically switch those in financial hardship or debt onto the cheapest plan. To learn out more about our work to support people experiencing energy hardship check our report: https://lnkd.in/gtuqvGZd

Our St Andrew's Bendigo Housing Project is running on schedule to deliver 73 new units, with tenants expected to move in early next year 💜 Bendigo's St Andrews Uniting Church Congregation Secretary, Dr Dean Shirley, said the project is the culmination of years of planning: “For 20 years the congregation has been focused on using this extraordinarily well-placed land for social housing. It started as a kind of a dream – we thought - how can we on this tired block of land with buildings that are no longer relevant or used to their full capacity be re-purposed? Now we’re able to take a brilliant site and doing something fabulous with it." “While all the attention is on the buildings, our focus is on people. It’s more than accommodation – it’s about support, friendship and partnership.” The new homes have been co-funded in partnership with Homes Victoria as part of the Big Housing Build. Uniting Vic.Tas Chief Financial Officer, Justin Flynn says the support of not only the church, but local and State Government, has been key: "Helping deliver safe and secure housing, is a contemporary expression of the church and addresses a real and urgent need in the local community.”