2021 Strategy Update

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In 2020, we launched Mission Australia’s 20-25 Strategy with a vision for an Australia where all of us have a safe home and can thrive. Here is a June 2021 progress update on our four strategic areas of focus:

Helping end homelessness in Australia

Duke Street Apartments and Mission Australia Centre in Coffs Harbour, NSW

Ending homelessness is a key focus of our 20-25 Strategy. As part of our commitment to ending homelessness, we have continued the construction of a Mission Australia Centre (MAC) in Coffs Harbour, along with supporting services, and 40 one-bedroom social housing units on Duke Street.

This is a key activity that aligns with our work on the Mid North Coast and ensures that people of all ages, backgrounds and incomes have access to the services they need, and a safe and secure home.

Our vision for this new MAC is to make long term, lasting change to reduce homelessness and support the Mid North Coast community to thrive. The MAC will offer support services to address the immediate needs of vulnerable locals, increase their long-term wellbeing and create opportunities for social connection.

We have been humbled by the generosity of our donors who have contributed $2.1 million towards construction.

Learn more about the MAC and Duke Street Apartments in Coffs Harbour.

Supporting vulnerable older Australians in Aged Care

We commenced our Aged Care Growth Strategy, including a submission to expand existing facilities and implementation of recommendations from the Royal Commission into Aged Care Quality and Safety.

We are also proud that all Mission Australia aged care staff are fully vaccinated against COVID-19 to promote the health and safety of our staff and residents.

To support the growth of our Aged Care facilities, we have also implemented a new Aged Care Clinical Information System to manage all consumer health records. The new digital system provides a single source for all care delivery information and ensures our teams are equipped to make well-informed care decisions and coordinate care from any location.

Additional highlights:

• The Tasmanian Community Housing Growth Program (CHGP) will transfer the management of 2,000 public housing properties to community housing providers, including almost 700 properties to Mission Australia Housing. The CHGP also includes funding for the construction of 1,000 new homes, which is shared across the four Tier 1 registered community housing providers.
• The construction of a new Youth Foyer in Townsville was delayed, but a new location has now been secured and a new design of the foyer has also been finalised.
• We are pleased with the progress of the redevelopment of the former Ivanhoe Estate in Macquarie Park, NSW. Together with NSW Land and Housing Corporation and Frasers Property Australia, the first 259 social housing dwellings are on track for completion by mid-2023. Mission Australia Housing Partnership Limited has also purchased off plan 130 affordable housing units in Mid-Town, as the Macquarie Park development will be known.

Partnering to strengthen communities

Cairns South, QLD - our first Community of Focus

Cairns South, an area with entrenched disadvantage and many gaps in services, was chosen as our first Community of Focus, a framework to create strong, resilient and thriving communities. Building on our strong footprint and trusted relationships in the community established over many years, we are working in close partnership with the community to address systemic drivers of disadvantage and help implement long-term solutions to achieve positive community change.

In the past year, we have made significant progress in developing a roadmap for action, establishing working clusters and a community governance model.

As the first Community of Focus, we will be evaluating our approach and sharing our learnings as we embark on other Communities of Focus during our five-year strategy period.

Additional highlights:

• In a shared responsibility with our teams in communities, our chaplains have made 60 additional connections with local churches to support clients. Chaplains are also supporting existing church partnerships and encouraging new partnerships with local community groups.
• Thanks to generous philanthropic support, we will expand our Community Chaplaincy program in more disadvantaged communities. Through local churches and faith-based organisations, Community Chaplains will reach people in need, support their spiritual wellbeing and strengthen their communities.

Supporting people in need to thrive

Alcohol and Other Drugs Facility in Cairns and Batemans Bay

Land has been secured in Cairns to build a new Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) facility and an existing property in Bateman’s Bay, NSW will be repurposed into another AOD facility.

The new facilities will provide vulnerable people with treatment through on-site case management, individual and group counselling, educational training and a variety of recreational and clinical programs.

Building works are expected to commence by October 2021, ensuring the sites are fully operational by July 2022.

Expanding AOD Services in South Australia

Our community services team in South Australia added new staff to deliver new and expanded AOD services in metropolitan and regional SA from 1 July 2021.

The expansion of our AOD services in South Australia will support more young people through group counselling and outreach support.

Driving Excellence

Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP)

Our 20-25 Strategy includes a commitment to reconciliation as an operating principle:

• We believe that Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people of this country should be restored to a place of equity, dignity and respect
• We will foster a strengths-based approach to empower Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people and communities to lead the work that affects them.

We are finalising a new Innovate RAP that builds on our prior 2017-2019 Innovate RAP and the progress we have made so far, including:

• Development of an Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander employment strategy
• Publication of biannual Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander youth reports
• Implementation of a range of cultural awareness training options
• Widespread use of cultural protocol guides
• Development of a partnership kit for culturally appropriate partnerships with Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander organisations, groups, and communities.

Additional highlights:

• Reviewed cost structures to ensure our organisation maximises the impact for those we serve
• Commenced a five-year People and Culture technology transformation to make staff more efficient and effective and in turn benefit our clients
• Embedded our ‘Unpacking Our Founding Purpose’ charter.

We look forward to building on the success of this first year of our 20-25 Strategy in the year ahead, pursuing our goal of ending homelessness and ensuring people and communities in need can thrive.