This year marked the seventeenth release of Anglicare Australia’s State of the Family report. Our focus this year was home, and it what it means to the people Anglicare works with. 

For most of us, home means a roof and a bed. This year's State of the Family Report, The Meaning of Home, explores its deeper significance. 

As always, we have drawn on our network for essays and portraits focused on different groups of people and a diverse range of services to explore how people understand home, and what they consider to be its essential qualities. It also looks at what home means in the context of service delivery, exploring its significance in the nature and design of the services that Anglicare provides.

In the public survey that we ran alongside this report, many people told us about their anxieties of being trapped and literally having nowhere to go. One person said:

"I worry a lot about homelessness, as a female contractor in my 50s I have to find another job every three months which is increasingly difficult. If I can't find work or become sick I cannot pay rent or a mortgage and cannot afford to live. I have no partner or family."

We found there were many stories from people that described the experience of having nowhere to call home: like George, who had to move into an abandoned property on the outskirts of Brisbane after he lost his work; Sarah, who became homeless at age 15 after leaving an unsafe family environment; the young people in out-of-home care who are shown the door as soon as they turn 18.  

The Anglicare services we explore in The Meaning of Home engage with people’s hopes. They show us home as a place of safety; a place to live; a place for caring; a place for healing; a place to be ourselves.

What this shows is that home is not one, static thing but an ongoing process. Our homes and the way we live in them are negotiated with our families, our housemates and our communities throughout our lives. No one knows this better than the people who work with and get support from the Anglicare family. The centrality of this process in people’s lives, and the transformative effects of their negotiation with it, makes it an important theme for us to explore. 

The stories we featured show that finding a sense of belonging and security after traumatic home experiences is important in re-establishing our identities. Out of this healing can come hope – something that was highlighted in Belinda Jones’ article about the residents’ experiences at Anglicare Tasmania’s Trinity Hill facility, where the report was launched last week.

These stories allow us to reflect on what space we make for healing in our communities. To acknowledge inequality takes an acknowledgment of privilege and power. That's one of the most important themes in this report.  As a society we can be quick to deny discrimination and oppression; to blame people for circumstances borne from unfair structures; and to punish people who struggle in a system that’s already unfair.

We’ve seen in recent announcements from the government calling for even more punitive approaches to people who need help. Social Services Minister Christian Porter has just announced that four groups would be targeted for welfare to work initiatives – older Newstart recipients, carers, young people, and migrants and refugees. Anglicare Australia has already spent much of this year opposing moves that force people to spend their savings before they can get help, that deny support for arbitrary reasons, and that stigmatise welfare and those who need it.

Just this week, Anglicare Australia launched a survey report conducted with the National Union of Students. As part of that survey, huge numbers of students have told us that Centrelink has paid them incorrectly or sent them a debt notification – even when they are reporting correctly and meeting all the requirements. Anglicare agencies work with young people facing major obstacles to study, like those leaving out-of-home care. We’ve known for a long time that income support payments are too low and that Centrelink systems are in urgent need of reform.

This year’s State of the Family report shows that we should be taking a completely different approach. To rebuild their lives, people need space, security, and most importantly, unconditional support. This report is full of stories of people who have overcome major challenges because they’ve enjoyed the benefits and stability of home.

It is this sense of unconditional support that we need to bring to all of our work - not just housing but also, as this report has shown, into other areas like aged care, addiction, community development, mental health services and counselling. 

The meaning of home is a rich concept that can make room for our experiences in life. It tells us what people want in their lives, from their communities and for their families and friends. It bolsters our belief that everyone has a right to a home. 

This notion is captured in one young person’s response to our question about what home means to them, and to whom we give the last word in this report: 

“I think that everyone should have a home because everyone deserves to have a place where they can go when they are happy or sad. Everyone should have a safe place to go. Everyone deserves a place to feel trusted and have trust in everyone to be loved. A place where they can go to make and remember memories. That is the meaning of home to me.”

Our hope is that the community will hear this message – and that it can be woven into all services for people in need.

Anglicare Australia launches State of the Family Report
On Thursday 23 November 2017, Anglicare Australia launched the 2017 State of the Family Report, The Meaning of Home. The report was launched at Anglicare Tasmania's Trinity Hill facility, which is featured in the report.

The launch featured a speech from Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers at the launch and personal stories about the meaning of home from residents of Trinity Hill.

“Home should be a space we can make our own. It’s our place to belong. Everyone needs – and should have – a home” Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers told the launch.

“This report explores the experiences of people who use Anglicare services. We’ve also surveyed hundreds of Australians on what home means to them.

“Their stories show that home is about more than having a roof over our heads – it’s about community, belonging, and security. Home is the basis on which we all build our lives,” Ms Chambers said.

Key recommendations from the report include:
-   Designing employment and education programs in partnership with the people who will use them
-   Giving young people in out-of-home care the option of getting support until 21, instead of terminating care at 18
-   Ensuring the basic safety net is non-conditional and meets everyone’s needs. This includes income support, education, housing, and settlement support.

The Meaning of Home can be downloaded here. Further information is available here.

Anglicare Australia partners with the National Union of Students for Student Housing Survey
Anglicare Australia and the National Union of Students (NUS) have called on the government to take urgent action on student support in next year’s Budget, releasing the results of the inaugural Student Housing Survey on Wednesday 29 November 2017.

“Huge numbers of students have told us that Centrelink has paid them incorrectly or sent them a debt notification – even when they are reporting correctly and meeting all the requirements,” said Anglicare Australia Executive Director Kasy Chambers.

“Anglicare agencies work with young people facing major obstacles to study, like those leaving out-of-home care. We’ve known for a long time that income support payments are too low and that Centrelink systems are in urgent need of reform. This survey confirms it,” Ms Chambers said.

Click here to read the media release. The story was featured in The Australian, The Guardian, Fairfax newspapers, and SBS, and local outlets.

Church Community Service Providers Condemn Welfare Bill
UnitingCare Australia, Catholic Social Services Australia and Anglicare Australia joined together in November to condemn the Federal Government’s Welfare Reform Bill saying a majority of the measures contained within the Bill will further punish and demonise people who are already on low incomes and need support.

Anglicare Australia’s Executive Director Kasy Chambers called on the Parliament to reject the Government’s punitive welfare bill.

“Our Jobs Availability Snapshot shows that people are already competing for jobs that just aren’t there. Forcing them into a demerit system won’t solve that problem,” Ms Chambers said.

“No one can be confident Centrelink could be fair or accurate when doling out demerit points, which can have catastrophic impact people’s lives. A recent Senate Inquiry found that Centrelink was already struggling to communicate with people, and had a high error rate when recovering debt. Anyone who has had much to do with Centrelink will see the cruel irony in asking it to manage a demerit points system like this.”

Click here to read the media release. Further information on Anglicare Australia's work on the Welfare Bill is available here.

Everybody’s Home – A National Housing Campaign
Anglicare Australia has joined a coalition of housing and homelessness organisations to lead the development of a research-based campaign to broaden the public debate around housing and homelessness. The campaign will be launched to the sector this week at the AHURI National Housing Conference in Sydney.

The campaign will focus on ending homelessness, improving rental security, funding new affordable rental houses and changing the tax settings to increase investment in affordable rentals and home ownership for young people.

The Everybody’s Home campaign will be an umbrella campaign to unite the sector and support our existing campaign activities. It will be tailored for both the Federal and upcoming State elections.

The campaign will be launched to the sector this week at the AHURI National Housing Conference in Sydney.

National Aged Care Alliance meeting November 23 and 24
Roland Manderson and Sandra Hills, for Anglicare Australia, attended the National Aged Care Alliance (NACA) meeting in Adelaide. Highlights included a report on a NACA aged care reform project  on ageing, disability and assistive technology, discussions around the implications of the Tune review of new aged care system, and the Carnell-Paterson report on safety and quality in aged care facilities.

NACA also agreed to a letter calling on the Minister to adjust the membership of his Age Care Sector Workforce taskforce to include someone from a relevant union, for obvious reasons, and made further progress on a position statement on the inextricable links between secure, appropriate and affordable housing and successful ageing.  For more information contact Roland Manderson.

Brotherhood of St Laurence announces Conny Lenneberg as new Executive Director
The Brotherhood of St Laurence has appointed a new Executive Director to succeed Tony Nicholson when he steps down at the end of the year.

Conny Lenneberg, who for more than six years led World Vision International’s organisation and programs in the Middle East and Eastern Europe, will commence as the Brotherhood of St Laurence's new Executive Director in January 2018.

Conny has 25 years’ experience in the development and social justice sector, from service delivery in the field to leading large teams and senior executive and board roles. Recently, she has been serving as the interim CEO of World Vision New Zealand. Prior roles include being a senior manager at Australian Volunteers International. As a key board member of Community Aid Abroad, as it was then known, she also contributed to the critical organisational restructure and merger with Freedom from Hunger that led to the formation of Oxfam Australia.

In taking up the role, Conny is the first woman to lead the organisation which was founded by the Anglican priest, Father Gerard Tucker, in 1930. Conny has shown a deep commitment and passion for addressing the root causes of poverty and disadvantage through her career.

Click here for more information about Conny Lenneberg and the Brotherhood of St Laurence's work.

Anglicare members at Family Relationships Services Australia (FRSA) Conference
Anglicare network members attended, and presented, at the FRSA Conference in Melbourne 22 to 24 November and took the chance to have dinner together. The general opinion was the key message from the conference was about linking up our work in this sphere outside the bounds of programs and their funding.

To make contact with Anglicare Australia’s Family, Children and Communities network email Glenda Devlin at Anglicare Sydney or Sue Christophers at Anglicare SA.

Residential Aged and Community Care Strategic Collaboration Group
Anglicare Australia’s Aged Care SCG ran a workshop on Customer Experience on November 30, led by Dr Catherine Joyce, analysing the different  ways  across the network that we see and learn about our ‘customer’s’  experiences.

Anglicare WA welcomes support for Young Hearts program
Anglicare WA has welcomed a $300,000 donation from shipbuilder Austal to its family and domestic violence support service, Young Hearts, over three years.

Including Austal's first $100,000 instalment, Anglicare WA has raised a total of $180,000 for Angels Rising's first year, $80,000 above the goal it had reported to Business News prior to the event.

“Anglicare WA was absolutely thrilled to have the CEO of Austal, David Singleton, announce their three year pledge of $300,000 at our Angels Rising, Dinner in the Cathedral,” said Anglicare WA CEO Ian Carter.

“Austal have been long-term supporters of the work of Anglicare WA and have previously supported our Young Hearts program, which provides counselling and recovery support to children who have witnessed or experienced family violence.”

Young Hearts works with children by helping them:
- explore their experiences through art, drama, dance, play and talking
- identify and express their thoughts and feelings about the family violence
- develop and enhance safe family relationships
- gain life skills and social skills which build confidence.

Click here for more information about the Young Hearts program.

Stronger Together: AnglicareSA and ac.care
AnglicareSA Housing and ac.care have merged their housing business and staff.

ac.care and AnglicareSA have a long history of shared foundations, values and working collaboratively together and we are very excited to welcome our new regional team to AnglicareSA Housing.

AnglicareSA CEO Peter Sandeman said that the transfer aligns with the objectives of AnglicareSA Housing.

“AnglicareSA is committed to the development and continuation of providing Community Housing in rural communities, and we are very pleased the transfer of the Housing business has been smooth. The transfer has been operational from 1 November 2017,” Peter said.

ac.care as an agency will still continue to provide to services to those in need in rural communities such as microfinance, homelessness services, foster care and family support.

Click here for more information on AnglicareSA's work with ac.care.

Jennine Blundell joins Work Ventures as new CEO
Work Ventures has welcomed a new CEO, Jennine Blundell.

Jennine Blundell is a highly effective leader with diverse sector experience, providing strategic solutions that have delivered sustainable organisational growth, business goals and social outcomes. She has held executive and consulting positions in both commercial and not for profit organisations.

Jennine has been a WorkVentures Board Member since 2015 and had previously held the role of Head of Employment, Training and Human Resources. Jennine now brings her authentic and collaborative leadership to build on the success of WorkVentures as a sustainable social enterprise.

Click here to find out more about the Work Ventures team.

St Bartholomew’s House partnership to provide relief for homelessness in WA
St Bartholomew’s House in East Perth is partnering with BHP to help break the cycle of homelessness through a new $1 million partnership.

The two-year Helping Homelessness partnership will assist St Bart’s to help West Australians at risk of or experiencing homelessness, to access a range of accommodation and individualised support services.

John Berger, CEO of St Bart’s, said at least 10,000 people were homeless on any given night in Western Australia, with the leading causes being domestic violence, and financial and housing difficulties.

“We are very proud to partner with BHP, which is supporting St Bart’s to intervene and assist some of our most vulnerable women, children and men within our community,” Mr Berger said.

“The experience of homelessness is devastating and can affect anyone, given the wrong set of circumstances. Losing a job, dealing with trauma, lack of family support during tough times, or poor mental health can all lead to homelessness.

“We provide unwavering support to our clients, who come from all walks of life. We acknowledge the difficult and complex journey they take, and we empower them to regain control and rebuild their lives using best practice recovery approaches.”

Click here for more information on St Bartholomew’s House's partnership with BHP.

Anglicare Northern Inland welcomes back Larry Apthorpe as interim CEO
Larry Apthorpe will serve as interim CEO for Anglicare Northern Inland. Mr Apthorpe is an experienced leader, who previously served as Anglicare Northern Inland CEO. He will lead Anglicare Northern Inland until February 2018.

Click here for more information about Anglicare Northern Inland's work.

Anglicare Australia HR Network meeting
The Anglicare Australia HR Network will hold a meeting on Wednesday 14 March to Friday 16 March 2018. Staff with interest in and responsibility for HR are invited to join this meeting and learn from the experience of others and provide leadership themselves. Further information on the meeting location and program will be available shortly.

Family Matters Report 2017
Family Matters
This report includes shocking projections on trends pf the number of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander children in out-of-home care, presents yet another urgent call to action and helps to guide us to key priority areas for change. The report is available here. Resources to promote the report are also available here.


Rental Affordability Index: November 2017
National Shelter
The Rental Affordability Index is an indicator of rental affordability relative to household incomes across Australia. The Index is produced by National Shelter, Community Sector Banking and SGS Economics & Planning. The report is available here.


Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual, Transgender and Intersex (LGBTI) Ageing and Aged Care Strategy
Australian Government
This report explores the findings of LGBTI Aged Care Strategy Review. The Review looked to report on the government’s progress in implementing the LGBTI strategy introduced in December 2012. The report is available here.


Gambling activity in Australia
Australian Institute of Family Studies
This report provides an overview of gambling activity in Australia in terms of participation, expenditure, and gambling problems among regular gamblers, as drawn from the HILDA self-report survey. The report is intended as a reference document for researchers and government officials who have an interest in Australian gambling statistics. The report is available here.


Couch surfing limbo
WEstjustice
This research attempts to fill the gap in knowledge on couch surfing as a form of homelessness, by looking into the experiences of young people who are couch surfing and the experiences of couch providers – seeking to identify the legal, policy and service gaps for these groups and provide a way forward in addressing these issues. The report is available here.


Public trust and confidence in Australia charities
Australian Charities and Not-for-Profit Commission
This research was conducted to continue the tracking of confidence and trust in the Australian charity sector, conducted previously in 2013 and 2015. The report explores the changes in the general public’s attitudes and beliefs regarding trust and confidence over time. The report is available here.

Minister Christian Porter launches Try, Test and Learn initiative
Social Services Minister Christian Porter has announced that four groups will be targeted for welfare to work initiatives:
-   older Newstart Allowance recipients
-   working age carers receiving Carer Payment
-   at-risk young people on income support, and
-   migrants and refugees on income support.

More information about the initiative and what it means for the people Anglicare works with is available here.

2018-19 Pre-Budget Submissions
On 20 September 2017 the Assistant Minister to the Treasurer called for submissions from individuals, businesses and community groups seeking their views regarding priorities for the 2018-19 Budget.

Submissions are requested by Friday 15 December 2017. More information is available here.

Treasury Laws Amendment (National Housing and Homelessness Agreement) Bill 2017
On 16 November 2017, the Senate referred the Treasury Laws Amendment (National Housing and Homelessness Agreement) Bill 2017 [Provisions] to the Economics Legislation Committee for inquiry and report by 6 February 2018.

Submissions close Monday December 18, 2017. More information is available here.

Future of Work and Workers
On 19 October 2017 the Senate established the Select Committee on the Future of Work and Workers to inquire and report on the impact of technological and other change on the future of work and workers in Australia.

Submissions are due by 30 January 2018. More information is available here.

Australia’s Not-for-Profit Leaders Forum
Akolade’s National Not-for-Profit Leaders Forum provides delegates with practical tools to strengthen their business in order to remain viable and financially sustainable in an unpredictable sector. It will be held from 5-7 December 2017. Click here to register.

Anglicare Australia HR Network meeting
The Anglicare Australia HR Network will hold a meeting on Wednesday 14 March to Friday 16 March 2018. Staff with interest in and responsibility for HR are invited to join this meeting and learn from the experience of others and provide leadership themselves. Further information on the meeting location and program will be available shortly.