Monday, July 23, 2012

Sydney van is on a new mission in Central Australia

Mission Australia staff have driven 2800kms over 3 days from Sydney to Alice Springs to give their service vehicle to the tenancy support programs that Mission Australia’s Alice Springs office delivers.


The vehicle, which was formerly used by the Sydney Mission Australia team to provide support services to people sleeping rough in the Sydney CBD, was packed with toys, playstations, sporting equipment, sheet sets and blankets to be donated to Alice Springs accommodation centres and families in need.

Missionbeat Manager Daniel Strickland said he was wrapped that they could pass on the van to the Central Australian support service and this was a great opportunity to take it personally to Alice Springs.

“This visit has been extremely worthwhile,” he said.

“The Alice Springs team and I have been able to share stories and ideas on the challenges in working with homeless people and the contribution we can make regardless of an urban or remote setting.

Most of the Alice Springs work is in supporting people to sustain their government housing. Mission Australia helps people with the myriad of enquiries and challenges that come from moving into Territory Housing and becoming good neighbours and happy tenants,” he said.

Alice Springs Operations Manager, Lyanne Kerr said she welcomed the new addition to their services.

“We assist our tenants learn how to deal with rent and money management, home care and maintenance of property, all vital stepping stones to keeping their homes so that they can have the stability most of us take for granted. Once you have stable and long term housing you can plan for the future – getting the kids to the local school, learning skills and training, receiving regular mail and eventually gaining employment.

We are so grateful to our NSW colleagues for supporting us and taking time from their busy schedules to come to Alice Springs and help us with the valuable work we do here. It really is a team effort and together we can be a real force for good,” Ms Kerr said.