Canberra Community Champions
Each month, I recognise a Canberra charity or community group as a ‘Canberra Community Champion’. As Assistant Minister for Charities and Federal Member for Fenner, I’m keen to shine a spotlight on the vital community-building work done in the bush capital.
Acknowledging these great organisations is one way of reversing the decline in social capital. Over the past generation, Australia has become more disconnected. We’re less likely to join organisations, we have fewer friends, and we’re less engaged in sporting and political groups.
Charities can help build a reconnected Australia, and Canberra Community Champions is a small recognition of the big work being done in our community. To nominate a Canberra Community Champion, please drop me an email suggesting a local charity, and explaining (in a few sentences) why their work deserves recognition.
This month's Canberra Community Champion:
Axial Housing - June Champion
June Canberra Community Champion – Axial Housing
Canberra Community Champion’s June shout out is Axial Housing, which is managed by Catholiccare.
Axial Housing is a ‘housing-first’ program that supports rough sleepers into permanent, secure housing. The program is unique as it does not discriminate based on employment status, criminal history or drug use and specifically targets people who have struggled to secure housing in the past. This is a significant, positive step towards more inclusive housing options for people with complex needs.
Another terrific aspect of Axial Housing is that it provides individual and flexible assistance for people based on their personal needs. And this support is wrap-around, which means that it extends beyond assisting a rough sleeper into a house and continues to provide long term support that is specifically targeted at breaking the cycle of homelessness. Importantly, it provides pet friendly housing. For many of us, a pet can be like family, so this consideration is very welcome.
A former rough sleeper who had been on the streets for 20 years shared this photo of his dog in his new home, provided as part of the Axial Housing program.
Read moreNorthside Community Services - May Champion
This month, Canberra Charity Champions is featuring Northside Community Services and the incredible work they’re doing to support vulnerable members of our community. Northside Community Services is a community based organisation that provides support for people with a disability, women’s housing and emergency relief and home support, children’s services and transport and social programs for seniors. In response to changing community needs due to COVID-19, they’ve focused on helping isolated Canberrans with personal and clinical care, safe medical transportation, essential shopping support, complex case management and client well-being check ins.
Every second day, a team of volunteers at Northside Community Services is calling over 600 Canberrans to check in on them. If they can’t make contact twice in a row, they undertake a home visit to ensure people are safe and well in their homes. In the week before Mother’s Day, they delivered an incredible 160 activity boxes to community members, including women and families in supported housing, older clients who were unable to see their family, and people feeling the period of isolation. This is just one example of the work charities are doing to ensure the wellbeing of individuals and boost social connection in this difficult time. You can find out more about Northside Community Services at their website.