St Patrick's Community Support Centre

Did you know Family & Domestic Violence is the leading cause of homelessness for WA women? Today is the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and marks the start of the 16 Days in WA campaign, which calls on all of us to take action against violence perpetrated against women and children in our community. St Pat’s were proud to be represented by members of our team at the Centre for Women's Safety and Wellbeing’s 34th March Against Domestic and Family Violence in Perth’s CBD today. It was a privilege to walk together in honour of all those who have lost their lives, and to show our support for their loved ones left behind, the survivors and for anyone still living in fear. If you, or someone you know, is at risk please reach out for help, now. https://lnkd.in/gS_cpVft #16daysinwa

No One Turned Away - it’s a philosophy we try to live by. 💚 Unfortunately, as a sobering new report from Homelessness Australia revealed, during a two-week period in September… 🚪39% of services surveyed had to close their doors to people seeking help at least once ☎️ 83% were so busy they couldn’t answer the phone, leaving people in crisis without immediate assistance 📧 74% were so busy they couldn’t answer emails, impacting housing referrals and support requests We’ve felt this pressure, especially when we’re fielding 400-500 calls a week. And we know our partners are too. That’s why we’ve joined the No One Turned Away campaign, which calls for increased investment in homelessness services, preventative measures and an expansion of Housing First programs, so that we can keep providing people with the help they need, when they need it. Read the report -> https://lnkd.in/gueC5Rer And join the campaign -> https://lnkd.in/gqa9MmBN #endhomelessness

Only one more sleep until the Freo Long Table Dinner 2024!😮 Can’t make it? You can still support St Pat’s by bidding on our Silent Auction or purchasing a raffle ticket. Go here —> https://lnkd.in/gA4XUckz #freolongtable24 #endhomelessness

Congratulations to our emerging superstar Annie Kennedy 💫💚 Annie has just been awarded the Youth Work WA Mission Australia Emerging Youth Worker Award! 👏 A much-loved member of our Youth Place team, Annie provides support to young people aged 15-25 experiencing homelessness. Well done Annie, we always knew you were a star 😉 Youth Futures

The cat’s out of the bag 😻 St Pat’s are proud to announce we are the new owners of a key Fremantle property, right next door to our soon-to-be built Engagement Hub. Our thanks go to the Sapienza family, in particular Sam and Connie Sapienza, who in an extraordinary act of generosity gave their share of the property to us. Their astounding gift will open up a world of opportunities and we cannot express our gratitude enough on behalf of our staff, volunteers and the people we support. Thank you 🙏 #endhomelessness

We need the reality of child poverty to become common knowledge among all Australians. These uncomfortable conversations are crucial for sparking the action needed to address our national child poverty crisis! During Anti-Poverty Week 2024, the Valuing Children Initiative stood alongside organisations to demand action. Foodbank WA Centrecare St Patrick's Community Support Centre 54 reasons Western Australian Council of Social Service (WACOSS) Commissioner for Children and Young People WA Youth Affairs Council of Western Australia (YACWA) Australian Human Rights Commission Youthgovau Minderoo Foundation Kate O'Hara Louise Giolitto Fraser Beattie Chris Twomey 12 Buckets Inc Larissa Muir Justice, Ecology and Development Office Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office Shelter WA Kath Snell Wanslea Jo Sadler Daryl Higgins Mason Rothwell Bankwest Curtin Economics Centre (BCEC) MercyCare Anglicare WA Joshua Patrick We displayed 100 teddy bears, including 17 orange bears, to symbolize the staggering reality that 17 in 100 Australian children live in poverty. These bears represent safety and security—the very basics every child deserves. Our message is clear: it’s time for the government to take real steps to end child poverty in Australia. Every child deserves the chance to grow up safe, secure, and supported. We need your support to make this happen. Sign the petition today at endchildpoverty.com.au. #AntiPovertyWeek2024 #ValuingChildrenInitiative #ValuingChildren #TakeAction #NoMoreExcuses #ListeningDay #EndChildPoverty #MakeADifference #NoChildInPoverty #Australia #LegislateToEndChildPoverty

What a fantastic day at the Australian Zero Homelessness Summit! Hosted by the Australian Alliance to End Homelessness and the Western Australian Alliance to End Homelessness, today’s sessions provided a wonderful opportunity for our team to listen, learn and connect with local, national and international experts. It’s not often we get a chance to take stock of all the incredible collaborations that are happening right now, or to recognise how many lives, and communities, have been changed by this vital work. The passion in the room was clear and our team came away feeling energised and inspired. Thank you to the AAEH & WAAEH teams for organising a great event, the wonderful guest speakers, our fellow event sponsors and to the City of Fremantle - our home - for providing the perfect backdrop for such an important summit. #endhomelessness

Our HEART Team travelled a bit further afield recently, giving support to a family seeking shelter at a bush campsite. It's risky to sleep rough, and even harder when you have young children, which is why families head further away from busy urban centres for safety. But this also puts them further away from essential support services. Luckily our HEART Team, which is a partnership between St Pat's, Uniting WA, Indigo Junction Noongar Mia Mia and the Department of Communities WA are a mobile response unit which can meet people wherever they are and deliver rapid, flexible support while they connect them with the right housing to suit their needs.

This week we travelled to Langford for a yarn with the amazing HEART Program outreach team. We talked about Noongar history and culture, and what services Noongar Mia Mia offers to our mob who are sleeping rough in Perth/Boorloo. In the afternoon our Cultural Advisor Sandra Harben completed the team’s Noongar Housing First Principles training which provides community workers with the right tools to support First Nations people on the path to housing. The HEART program is led by our colleagues at St Patrick's Community Support Centre in partnership with Indigo Junction and Uniting WA, offering assertive outreach services to those experiencing homelessness across the Metro Area. Thanks to Langford Aboriginal Association for hosting us ❤️

This week we travelled to Langford for a yarn with the amazing HEART Program outreach team. We talked about Noongar history and culture, and what services Noongar Mia Mia offers to our mob who are sleeping rough in Perth/Boorloo. In the afternoon our Cultural Advisor Sandra Harben completed the team’s Noongar Housing First Principles training which provides community workers with the right tools to support First Nations people on the path to housing. The HEART program is led by our colleagues at St Patrick's Community Support Centre in partnership with Indigo Junction and Uniting WA, offering assertive outreach services to those experiencing homelessness across the Metro Area. Thanks to Langford Aboriginal Association for hosting us ❤️