b"EnliveningNurturing confident,Op Shops bringing creative learners imagination and innovation We continue to expand our early learningto communitiescommunities services portfolio, partnering with communitiesIts been a year of celebrations for our Op Shop to deliver services that both support childrensteams this year, with our stores in Sale and needs and nurture confident, creative learners.Glenroy celebrating an amazing 35 and 50 years Over the past 3 years of our strategic growthrespectively serving their communities. These focus we have consolidated and strengthened milestones were made more special for the fact our portfolio, with an overall increase inthat some of our staff and volunteers have been enrolments of 35 per cent.with us since the beginning. This year, we were appointed as manager ofOur Op Shops stream has seen great growth, We understand that when communities thrive, so do people. our first early learning centre situated on awith 17 new staff recruited, along with many school property. Rosewood Downs Unitingvolunteers, allowing each store to trade seven Kindergarten in Dandenong North is a brand-days a week. We opened a new store in the Supporting roughnew, purpose-built sessional kindergarten thatheart of Bendigo, and we took up management We have worked alongside localprovides education to three-year-old and four-communities across Victoria and Tasmania sleepers while valuingyear-old children in a mixed-age environment.of the Uniting Church Op Shop in Melton. We for over 100 years.their lived experience Being situated on the school property has givenrebranded all our stores, making each one It has always been our long-held belief thatus the unique opportunity to become embeddeddistinctively Uniting. these communities deserve services that willAffordable housing in Ballarat is limited and thewithin the school community, allowing childrenThe Op Shops team has enjoyed collaborating enable them to thrive. That is why we continuewaitlist for public housing is extensive meaningto connect with older peers as they build theirwith our Fundraising, Fire and Clay, and to provide vital support for individuals,more young people and families than ever areresilience and confidence ahead of transitioningVolunteer teams. And theyve collaborated with families and communities in metropolitan,sleeping rough in Ballarat and its surroundinginto primary school. external partners to host in-store fashion styling rural and remote areas in both states. Weareas. Our Street to Home outreach workersworkshops, run a pop-up stall at Melbournes work to create deep connections and weseek out these rough sleepers, offer materialMidsumma Festival, participate in Werribees often do this through collaboration andaid to keep them safe and warm with sleepingMore about our early learning services Winter Street Party, and taken part in the charity partnerships with like-minded organisationsbags, tents, swags and food, while also linkingretail pop-up concept store Charity ShOP? at and governments to ensure everyone hasthem to healthcare, mental health support,Westfield in Fountain Gate.and drug and alcohol services. In some cases, equal access to the services they need.they even provide medication. And by providingBridgewater programs this in-person support, people sleeping roughbridge the gap Find an Op Shop near youaren't left alone while they wait for housing, Uncovering the past,instead remaining in contact with services evenLocated 20km north of Hobart, Bridgewater is shaping the future if it's for a chat and a bacon and egg roll.considered one of Tasmanias most disadvantaged Unitings Heritage Service provides records Street to Home Team Leader, Stacey Park saystowns. People living in the area experience a and information to those affected by adoptionthe job is to walk alongside people in need oflack of access to appropriate housing, cultural and those who spent time as children in out- housing for as long as it takes. We need tofacilities and poor internet access with long-term of-home care services run by the formermaintain support to help exit the homelessnessunemployment and low school attendance just denominations of the Uniting Church - Methodist,cycle, she says.some of the contributing factors. With a high Presbyterian and Congregational. The serviceproportion of residents identifying as Aboriginal, And a part of that support involves engagingUniting programs in Bridgewater are dedicated to supports people to share their experiences, findthe lived experience of both current and formerworking alongside the communities in areas such connections from the past, and locate familyStreet to Home consumers as members ofas emergency relief, childrens services, parenting members and significant people.the Homelessness Advocacy and Referenceand family, and domestic violence support. Telling their stories and being able to meet Committee (HARC). This engaged and enthusiasticOne such program is the federally funded and share as a group can give individuals a group of Consumer Partners provides a voice forCommunities for Children. The programssense of belonging. It helps them understandclients and enables a client perspective on the their narrative, fill gaps in their memory, andStreet to Home programs service delivery, as wellgroup sessions are tailored to the needs ofreframe their experiences. In August 2022,as other Homelessness programs across Uniting.the participants, with one-on-one sessions Uniting held two gatherings for MothercraftJeremey Gunning, Street to Home Peerprovided for those consumers who lack the nurses and people who had lived as children Support worker, and HARC Facilitator says theresources to travel, or the confidence to meetin the Methodist and Presbyterian Babiescontribution and enthusiasm of the committeein group environments.Homes. These reunions have been valuable is amazing. I also feel that it's an extraordinary and enriching for people seeking to reconnect opportunity to give a real sense of purpose toto the past and can shape their future. all our members.More about our Heritage Service More about our crisis support services20 Uniting Vic.Tas and Uniting Housing Annual Report Uniting Vic.Tas and Uniting Housing Annual Report 21"