Collaboration in Western Sydney leading to better outcomes
BY LAUREN MARTIN
A new Salvation Army community hub in Western Sydney is meeting the needs of locals facing hardship by bringing together Salvation Army enterprises and other agencies under one roof.
The Salvation Army Connect Community Hub at St Marys was opened last month by NSW Deputy Premier Prue Car, Minister for Education and Early Learning and Minister for Western Sydney.
The hub houses local mission delivery, Employment Plus, Doorways caseworkers, an Alcohol and Drugs program, Moneycare Financial Support services, and an innovative Food and Life Essentials Store. Spiritual support is available from Salvation Army officers who hold a regular chapel service at the site.
“For those of us who have faith, this is truly an extraordinary day and evidence of God’s continual working in our movement and in our community,” said Greater West Sydney Salvos Team Leader Major Paul Moulds at the opening.
“Not only have we all come together to work with greater impact, but we have already increased our services to the community [through the partnerships in the new premises].”
Last year, Greater West Sydney Salvos won a major tender from the NSW government to build a new facility based on the principles of collective impact. This means different services coming together in a one-stop-shop type of centre to work more effectively to bring about individual and community transformation.
Paul said it’s exciting to see that this is already beginning to happen in St Marys through this new initiative.
Employment Plus had been looking for a new site to support St Marys job seekers for some time. Employment Plus National Projects Manager Belinda Donovan attended the launch, saying she approached Greater West Salvos to see if they could better serve the community by co-locating.
“While it’s not the first time Employment Plus has co-located with other Salvation Army services, it’s unique in that it’s the first ‘greenfields’ site where we’ve partnered from the outset. The intent to offer the depth of services from the get-go recognises the value our job seekers find in The Salvation Army’s programs,” she said.
The new site allows Employment Plus to serve a caseload of 800 people looking for work in the area, and already, many of them are taking advantage of other Salvation Army programs and services available on-site.
Other organisations that can support job seekers have also been approached about offering services from the site on a casual basis, and already a vital local mental-health service, Stride, is utilising the hub to offer its services.
“I can’t speak enough of how wonderful it has been to work together in the short time we have been open,” Paul said at the launch, referring to the positive impact for the community he is daily observing from Salvation Army services and other agencies that are collaborating at the site.
To view more photos of the opening, click through the slideshow below:
