Lazarus Centre Newsletter: Easter 2019
New Team Leader Chris de Paiva is determined to prevent, empower and protect
I am Chris de Paiva, (pictured left with Lazarus Centre Chaplain, Fr Philip Gill) the recently appointed Homeless Support Team Leader based at St Mark’s Community Centre and the Lazarus Centre Breakfast Program at St Peter’s Eastern Hill. I have been in the role for two months and feel privileged to be leading a dynamic team of staff and volunteers in such important programs providing assistance to homeless and those at risk of becoming homeless.
I am married and have two children that are now young adults at university and my wife is employed as a Junior School Chaplain. I have always worked in the people industry and for the past ten years I have been working in the Disability sector managing a Supported Housing program. I’m not totally new to the homeless sector as I started my Social work career 29 years ago working in a homeless men’s shelter in the CBD. Unfortunately in that time not much has really changed in relation to the needs of those sleeping rough, apart from the increased demand for support and the increased level of behaviours of concern due to the availability of harmful substances in the community.
What attracted me to Anglicare was the three guiding pillars in the Mission statement, to Prevent, Empower and Protect. The Anglicare ethos runs parallel to my mine and I am passionate about being a part of transforming and empowering the futures of individuals with complex needs. I strongly believe that a supportive community can have a vital role in the well-being of both young and old and in my short time in the role I have observed that both St Mark’s and St Peter’s programs provide not only food and sustenance but also provide a place that is safe, supportive and for some offers a sense of community. For some that attend the service the greeting that we give when they enter the program may be the only human interaction they have for the day. I believe my role going forward is to build on the existing programs and find opportunities to focus and strengthen individual’s abilities utilising a strength- based approach and find opportunities to advocate for those without a voice.
I have been overwhelmed by food and monetary donations that the Anglican parishes and schools provide and I am grateful for the hard working volunteers both individual and corporate who give up many hours of their week to support the program, some of which have been doing so for 20 plus years. Without this support the program would not be viable. On that note there are still many opportunities for people to be involved as there is a real need for more volunteers as there have been a few volunteers retire recently. So if you are able to give back to the community and have 2-3 hours a week available to give out food parcels or wash some dishes, please do not hesitate to give me a call on 9419 3288 to discuss how you could contribute to Anglicare Victoria Homeless Support Programs.
Making sure Everybody’s home - especially at election time!
The Council for Homeless Persons (CHP) has a website that I refer to when researching issues on homelessness. The website has a link to a grass roots campaign aimed at garnering support to influence political leaders to address housing challenges. Everybody’s home proposes five simple things our Government can do to strengthen Australia’s housing system so that it works for everyone. It is important for us all to reflect and act on these issues especially as we approach a federal election. The main themes are summarised below:
Support for first home-buyers
By re-setting the tax system around housing, governments can redress the housing balance and make it work properly for people who are buying a home, not just an investment portfolio.
A National Housing Strategy
The Federal Government needs to develop a coherent National Housing Strategy to meet Australia’s identified shortfall of 500,000 social and affordable homes. The strategy will determine the respective roles of federal, state and local governments and identify the full range of instruments required to achieve this.
A better deal for renters
We’re calling on all Australian states and territories to change tenancy laws to protect tenants against evictions, unfair rent rises, discrimination and landlords who refuse to maintain properties.
Immediate relief for Australians in chronic rental stress
It will take time to plan for and build the 500,000 social and affordable rental homes Australia needs. People on low and middle incomes need a roof over their heads now.
We’re calling on the Federal government to:
Increase Commonwealth Rent Assistance while more social and affordable housing is being built
Provide renters with a catch up increase of 30% or about $20 a week for those in the highest rental stress Review the way Rent Assistance is calculated to make eligibility and payments fairer.
This will give people in housing stress more to spend on crucial things like food, healthcare and getting on with life in their local community.
A plan to end homelessness by 2030
We’re calling on governments to put together a national action plan to end homelessness that:
Addresses all the drivers of homelessness, including the lack of affordable housing, poverty and family violence
Rapidly rehouses people who are homeless and helps them stay there.
Addresses the over-representation of Aboriginal people in the homeless service system.
Commit to ending homelessness by 2030 by taking action to prevent homelessness and delivering rapid access to the housing and support people need if they do lose their own home.
With real effort we can halve homelessness in 5 years and end it in 10.
“Ask not for whom the bell tolls...!”
St Peters’s Eastern Hill parishioner, Christopher Martin (pictured) writes: It is very early on a cool clear Sunday morning at St Peter’s. I have just finished ringing the bell for 8am Low Mass. Two neat ladies have stepped gently beneath the rope to enter the church.
Suddenly a worried man with a loud voice gestures vigorously to me as he enters the church. “Quick come with me. I need you to explain something to two people. “ A long loud explanation fills the air as we pass the church on our way to Albert St. His voice will waft through the church windows. It seems he tried to direct two ladies to the church, when they had come to the wrong entrance and they had come across this breakfast program man. He explains that they didn’t seem to believe him and we two were to search for them as, in his words, “we needed all the new parishioners we could get” as they would benefit from what the church stood for.
No luck in finding them outside. He returns to his breakfast, pleased though I had wanted to help him find them.
Towards the end of the Mass, I realise that the two neat ladies were in the church all the time. They were the ones who had entered under the bell rope, using their guide’s instructions. I say as they leave, “It is sometimes hard to find our entrance.” “Oh,” one says,” one of your people on the other side kindly showed us where to find it.”
He knew not only where the entrance was, but he was keen to help us in the parish welcome new people or visitors, and had felt wrongly they may not have taken his words seriously because of ‘who I am.’ l hope plenty of those connected with the breakfast program read this little affirming anecdote.