Member of the Month – Uniting Vic.Tas

Congratulations to our Member of the Month for March, Uniting Vic.Tas. Uniting Vic.Tas run several programs to assist communities in need and provide donations from Good360 in addition to services they provide. Since becoming a member in 2018, they have shared numerous impact stories of the joy they have created, especially to communities who have not experienced outreach previously. Read below on some of their programs and some special stories they have experienced on the ground.

When did you join Good360?
We joined in August, 2018.

What programs do you use your Good360 donations for? Who does the program serve? How does it impact Australians in need?
Uniting Vic.Tas utilises Good360’s donations across many programs, some of these being:

• Emergency Relief – Supporting people in crisis or experiencing hardship.
• Family Services – Providing support to help them work towards a happier and healthier future.
• Foster Care – Ensuring children and young people receive the protection, care, and time they need, so they can grow in a safe and supportive environment.
• Asylum Seeker Program – People seeking asylum are some of the most vulnerable in our community. Many are fleeing persecution and harm, travelling to a strange country, often at great risk, hoping for comfort and support. Our asylum seeker programs have been serving the community for over 20 years without sustainable government funding. We provide practical services to people newly arrived in our community when they need it most.
• Housing and Homelessness – Providing 700 safe housing solutions across Victoria and Tasmania to people who have been living on the streets, while others are couch surfing or sleeping in shelters, cars, temporary accommodation, boarding houses or public dwellings. We help provide material aid and other homelessness entry points, as well as case management and integrated wrap-around programs such as private rental assistance and tenancy advice, accommodation options for families, specialist youth support, family reunification, homelessness network support and private rental brokerage services. We continue to provide short-term crisis solutions while also addressing the root causes of homelessness; ensuring there is adequate affordable housing, and that people are able to access education, employment and healthcare.

What is your favourite moment/interaction that you have had with a client when utilising the Good360 product?
Over Christmas 2022 we serviced approximately 240 consumers through our Emergency Relief centre in Broadmeadows, it was fantastic to be able to offer the opportunity of selecting LEGO gifts we sourced from Good360 to give to their children for Christmas.
It is wonderful to see the delight on the faces of our consumers when we offer this opportunity as it provides gifts that normally they may not have been able to afford.

How does Good360 help your mission?
Good360 assists our work to inspire people, enliven communities and confront injustice.

What would happen if Good360 wasn’t here to help?
It would be difficult to supply our consumers with all the diverse goods that Good360 provide us.

What is your favourite donation you have received from Good360? Why?
My favourite donation from Good360 was a king-sized mattress. One client was residing in a public housing flat in Hampton for some years – now known as the Bluff Road redevelopment site. The client was one of a hundred and fifty residents that were relocated as the whole public housing estate is being demolished and rebuilt. The client had a very old bed, and it was deemed unfit for transport to his new residence in Ormond, hence was sleeping on a couch. Our client is participating in our Uniting Mental Health and Wellbeing HUB Program, seeking material aid and mental health support as he is also on a jobseeker allowance.
He was so grateful for the bed and linen and said the bed was so comfortable, especially with the padded top. It has made a great difference in his life being able to have a restful sleep night.

How many lives have you impacted through Good360’s donations?
Over 100,000 lives.

To learn more about Uniting Vic.Tas, our Member of the Month, you can check out their website, and their Facebook and Instagram pages.