Message from the CEO
It has been a challenging start to the year, with many of our programs and services impacted by the community spread of COVID-19. Through it all, the resilience and optimism shown by our customers, employees and volunteers has been inspiring.
Our effective approach to housing services was acknowledged at the recent Housing Industry Association awards, where AnglicareSA Housing (now Believe Housing Australia) received three awards. We also recently celebrated the artistic side of our tenants with the Community Housing Art Awards. It is amazing to see the breadth of talent we have in our community. Artistic talent and connection to country are at the heart of our piece about Transition to Work participants Sarah and Josiah on page 9. Their story demonstrates what is possible when someone supports you to achieve your dreams. Our aged care residents have done it tough over the past two years, often separated from family and friends due to COVID restrictions. Our aged care teams work tirelessly to provide enriching and meaningful activities for residents throughout the year, but even more so during periods of lockdown. It is not only our residents’ minds being enriched – our new Executive Chef in aged care, Andrew McIntyre, is charged with ensuring residents are well-nourished through tasty, appealing and nutritious food. Our residential aged care staff have also enjoyed the benefits of his talents, with Andrew leading a team
Despite the restrictions, our teams have been focused, as always, on the continued delivery of the highest quality programs and services for South Australians. This is at the heart of our decision to rename our housing arm. We were delighted to launch the new brand – Believe Housing Australia – earlier this month. While remaining a subsidiary of AnglicareSA and sharing the same core values, Believe Housing Australia will continue to deliver high quality housing and support services, and partner with other members of the Anglicare network on affordable housing projects over state border. Our commitment to invest $100M in social and affordable housing in SA over the next 10 years demonstrates our clear commitment to addressing the housing crisis in Australia. We encourage others to join us in our endeavour. Our team provides much more than a roof over the head – we provide wrap-around support services to assist tenants on their housing journey from crisis through to stable, long-term housing and, in many circumstances, home ownership.
of volunteer staff to make more than 5,000 meals for staff to enjoy during their long shifts in COVID-affected aged care homes. Looking after our employees and volunteers is essential to our organisation. Our group of Employee Wellbeing Chaplains provides an invaluable support service to our team. It has been especially important during recent high community transmission of COVID, with many across the organisation feeling anxious and stressed. Across the state, many other South Australians are also in need of support. Our emergency assistance services were buoyed over the Christmas period by the generous donations of our supporters through the Christmas Appeal and hamper and toy drive. Together, we raised more than $120,000 and gave away 1,500 hampers and 500 children’s gifts. This generosity will have long-term benefits across our community and enable us to continue to deliver vital emergency assistance to those in crisis. Thank you for your ongoing support of our work. Together we change lives.
Grant Reubenicht Chief Executive Officer
Cover: In March, we celebrated the launch of Believe Housing Australia with a series of staff and tenant events.
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