Friends For Life

#Meetmystreet

Friends For Life

27 March 2022

Meet My Street New2

Glenys (top left) with Anne and Richard.

We’ve all heard of life-long friendships, but how about life-saving ones?

For Mitchell Park resident Glenys, the compassion of her neighbours during a medical emergency blossomed into a wonderful friendship.

Originally from Queensland, Glenys was navigating the transition into a new home and community without the support of friends and family. Shortly after moving into her new home, she suffered a serious medical episode.

Neighbours Richard (an ex-Paramedic) and his wife Anne knew that something was seriously wrong when they could hear Glenys struggling to breathe. Wasting no time, they called an ambulance and supported Glenys while they waited.

“I didn’t know them from a bar of soap,” said Glenys. “But I somehow knew that I could trust them.”

After being treated in hospital, Glenys was told that her neighbours’ actions had quite literally saved her life.

“I didn’t feel worried or afraid, I trusted them absolutely, and I’ve never done that in my life.”

Richard and Anne visited Glenys often during her hospital stay, bringing food and keeping her company during her recovery.

They also walked and fed her two beloved dogs, kept on top of her household duties and even maintained her garden in preparation for her return home.

The trio have now become ‘infamously’ great friends, with their good-nature spreading across the surrounding community.

“I’ve got a lot of faith in these people, they’re just good-hearted.” Glenys said.

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COVID Update

February 2022

COVID Update

In line with the State Government’s lifting of COVID-19 restrictions, we are pleased to advise that, from Monday 14 February 2022, all our offices will re-open to walk-in visitors.

Routine, in-person tenancy inspections and asset inspections will also resume.

Programs at Hackham Community Centre will continue to operate via bookings.

The Kangaroo Island Community Centre will re-open.

Please observe COVID-safe protocols outlined at our sites including physical distancing and the use of Personal Protective Equipment, especially masks.

For specific information about Junction programs or services, contact us directly:

General Enquiries

  • Phone (08) 8203 5700.

Housing

Tenants

For any queries, please call your Housing Manager or ring 8275 8700.

Maintenance

For maintenance, phone 8210 7010 as usual.

Inspections Routine, in-person tenancy inspections and asset inspections will resume.

Fleurieu and Kangaroo Island Services

  • For homelessness support, please call 1800 003 308.
  • For Domestic Violence support, please call 1300 694 961.

Community Centres

Hackham Community Centre

Phone 8392 3080 or visit the HCC Facebook page.

Kangaroo Island Community Centre

Phone 8553 2809 or visit the KICC Facebook page.

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Day for Equality is Here

March 2022

Day for Equality is Here

On 7 March 2022, Junction hosted around 100 business and community leaders at our One Voice event – a discussion about how we can all work towards gender equality.

Janine Hendry,  founder of the inaugural March4Justice was our guest speaker. Read her column in the Advertiser below:

A little less than a year ago, I stood at a podium in Canberra ready to address 10,000 women and their allies who had gathered. We were protesting against gendered violence and its underpinning cause – inequality.

I will admit I was a little surprised at the numbers, having always believed I would be standing there with my seven mates, and a few placards.

But there we were, and a further 110,0000 women and men listening to similar speakers at another 200-plus events across Australia. What started as a tweet ended up with a plethora of people, brought to the brim of frustration at the levels of gendered violence in this country, desperately wanting to make changes.

What March4Justice did was break the silence. It has been pivotal in starting to change the narrative around gendered abuse in this country, in the community, in boardrooms and in schools.

On Monday I stood in front of 120 business and community leaders at an event hosted by Junction – a social enterprise supporting about 10,000 South Australians a year through housing and community services. Gender inequality underpins so many of the social challenges we face and I have no doubt it will also be a defining factor in the upcoming elections.

To say there is a lot of work to still do, is a gross understatement.

The situation in Australia is not pretty. We see 23 per cent of university vice-chancellors are women. As well, 34 per cent of 2000 ASX-listed board positions are held by women. In the Supreme Court 38 per cent of judges are women. The federal parliament has 32 per cent of representatives being women.

Why does this matter? Because those working in these positions are making decisions daily that affect us all.

If politicians are not representative of who we are then how can they represent us fairly and equitably?

Judges create precedent which affect women. Universities make decisions about research programs and courses which affect women. Board directors make decisions about products and services which directly target women. How can they represent women when they don’t have women making the decisions?

Is it any surprise, then, that the gender pay gap of 14.1 per cent, which had been declining until the pandemic, has now started to rise again?

Knowing this, is it any surprise that the levels of gendered violence and abuse in Australia are some of the highest in the world? When inequality is so embedded at every level in our society.

The good news is, we can create change. There will always be the need for someone to go first. The important thing is to take a step.

We need to have the hard conversations. Ask the hard questions and if you don’t know the answers, seek them out.

Abuse happens in the shadows, behind closed doors. Abuse happens in the silence. Asking the questions will bring this abuse into the light, and it is from there that we can make change.

Tuesday March 8 is International Woman’s Day.

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Back in Motion

February 2022

Back in Motion

Breaking free from a cycle of homelessness and domestic violence wasn’t easy for Christies Downs resident Amy – but now in her mid-20s, she finally feels in control again.

Having had a rough start after moving from England, Junction initially supported Amy until she successfully obtained her very first private rental – where she and her young children looked forward to settling down.

With the birth of Amy’s third child during this time, everything was looking up.

However, this all ground to a halt when ongoing health issues and a severe relationship breakdown forced Amy and her family to re-enter the homelessness cycle.

With nowhere else to turn, Amy re-connected with Junction and soon moved into a Transitional Property – where, without giving up, she continued to try to get back into the private rental market.

Eventually, Amy received the news that set everything back in motion – a long-term property offer through Junction. After years of uncertainty, Amy felt as though she could finally move forward again.

“I cried tears of joy. I could finally give my children a stable home to settle down in.”

“I don’t know how bad my life would’ve been without it,” she said.

Now looking forward to the future, Amy is well on her way toward achieving the goals she previously had to postpone – including completing her Certificate 3 in Childcare.

“No matter how hard you think life is going, never give up,” she said. “If you can overcome the bad days, you’ll get even better ones.”

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Food and Thought

February 2022

Food and Thought

Since becoming a volunteer with Meals on Wheels SA (MoW SA) in late 2005, Oaklands Park resident Debbie has played an integral role in getting nutritious meals out to those who need it most.
Along with her driver David, a volunteer of 22 years, she is part of the MoW SA Warradale team which cooks, packages and delivers around 150 meals each week day.

“I really enjoy doing it because the clients are so grateful. Sometimes you are the only person they talk to all day.”

“A few times they have been very sick or had a fall and I have been told ‘You saved my life’. Who couldn’t feel good after that?” Debbie said.
Meals on Wheels SA was founded in 1954. Since then, it has delivered over 50 million meals to South Australians.
The service is more than just food deliveries. For some, it provides much-needed social interactions and, in other cases, has triggered life-saving welfare checks.
With people confined to their homes due to COVID, the demand for deliveries has sky-rocketed.
It is only through the support of dedicated volunteers who step-up week after week to help, that the service is able to continue providing support.

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Milestone Memories

November 2021

MILESTONE MEMORIES

Hannah won’t forget her 30th birthday in a hurry.

The oral health therapist celebrated the milestone by becoming a home owner.

TShe moved into her three bedroom townhouse at Mitchell Park just a few weeks after celebrating “three decades around the sun”.

THannah’s home was one of the first of to be handed over within The Avenues, a $16 million dollar Junction housing development built by Palumbo Construction. The project comprises 30 new homes for South Australians.

TPrior to moving into her new home, Hannah had rented for several years before moving back in with her parents.

“I’d been looking to buy for quite a while,” she said. “Then came COVID and I thought it (home ownership) wouldn’t happen for me.

“I’d been really looking at established homes. I’d met Justin (Ray White Glenelg) at one of the inspections. Around the same time the development came up in my online searches.

“I ended up going in and having a chat with Justin at the office. The communication was great and I made my mind up pretty quickly from there.”

Hannah said she was very attracted by the look and feel of her new home but the location really “sold” her.

“Where it’s situated it’s not too far from home or work so it’s very convenient,” she said. “I thought I would have to go much further out.

“It’s modern, very bright and much roomier than you even imagine from the plans so when I walked in for the first time it just had a really warm feel about it.”

Hannah’s home will be one of more than 100 homes Junction hands over between now and the end of the financial year.

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Gerry Finds Calm After Storm

30 July 2021

GERRY FINDS CALM AFTER STORM

Towing her pop top van to the local caravan park, the future looked bleak for Fleurieu local Gerry.

It had been a stressful few months for the 78-year-old widow who rented a lovely cottage in the area for three years before things changed.

“COVID hit and the rental market really started to tighten up,” Junction’s Early Intervention Prevention Officer Jodie explained.

“The owners needed to end the lease at the cottage to allow their elderly parents to move in.

“This all happened just as rentals in the area became almost impossible to secure, particularly when you are on an aged pension like Gerry.”

With no available rentals, Jodie liaised with the cottage owners who were very co-operative extending the lease twice as Gerry continued to search for a new home . Gerry desperately wanted to stay in the region where she was surrounded by her support network – including her pets. However, her options eventually ran out. As a last resort she moved into a pop-top caravan.

Gerry towed her small van to the local Caravan Park complete with her little dog, three cats and her birds in their aviary.

“Her animals are huge part of her support network and it was important that she had them in her daily life to support her and keep her company,” Jodie explained.

Gerry spent eight weeks living at the local caravan park. She continued to work closely with Junction to navigate potential opportunities and harness support and approached real estate agents independently as well.

“She was told about a small home that was undergoing some maintenance but a few weeks away,” Jodie said. “Gerry was very pro-active in following up with the agent weekly. Eventually, the home was ready to rent offered to her.”

Now settled, Gerry – and her pets – are settled and loving their new home and looking forward to spring!

Gerry was supported by Jodie through the Staying Home on the Fleurieu Program – a pilot project delivered by Junction, funded through the Wyatt Trust and Fleurieu Community Foundation.

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Changes to Homelessness Services in the South

28 June 2021

CHANGES TO HOMELESSNESS SERVICES IN THE SOUTH

Our homelessness services in Adelaide’s outer south are transitioning to another experienced provider as part of the Toward Home alliance.

If you are an existing client, you can call 1800 809 273.

For more information about the changes including the new alliance CLICK HERE.

If you are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless, you can call the Homelessnes Gateway on 1800 003 308 or visit sa.gov.au/topics/housing/emergency-shelter-and-homelessness

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Staying home supports Stephen to ‘Stand Taller’

15 June 2021

STAYING HOME SUPPORTS STEPHEN TO ‘STAND TALLER’

Goolwa local Stephen is “standing taller” thanks to our Staying Home on the Fleurieu program.

“It’s helped me dramatically,” Stephen, who has struggled with mental health challenges for many years, said.

Junction’s Early Intervention and Prevention Worker Jodie Price, whose position is funded by the pilot program said it was about housing first – but also, support.

“It’s about working with real estate and property managers and others involved in housing and community services across the region to help people find private rental housing and importantly, sustain it,” Jodie explains.

“Through the program we were able to assist Stephen to gain and move into his new rental, but that was really the beginning.

“From there it was helping Stephen to fit out his home so he had the things he needed to cook, clean and live with both dignity and independence.”

Jodie also assisted Stephen to access much needed dental services to improve his health and wellbeing.

Since then, Stephen’s confidence and self-esteem has increased and he’s now sporting a beaming smile too.

“I work out in my gym at home and walk many kilometres every day which is really good for me,” Stephen said.

Stephen is a Volunteer at a local Community Centre delivering Emergency Relief to those in need and also volunteers with Relationships Australia mentoring young people experiencing addictions or challenges within their lives.

Staying Home in the Fleurieu is funded through The Wyatt Trust and the Fleurieu Community Foundation.

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Fresh start for Bruce

27 May 2021

FRESH START FOR BRUCE

For Bruce, some recent maintenance upgrades at his Plympton property has meant more to him than home improvements. It’s been a fresh start.

“In 2019, my marriage broke down then I was made redundant – it was a very hard time,” the 53-year-old explains.

“Having the work done on the house, new ceilings and internal painting, was like a clean slate. Soon after, I got a new job and from there things started to fall back into place."

“I’m also getting new flooring in the next few weeks too, which will really complete things.”

Bruce said the housing upgrades to his property were just part of the support he had received from Junction over the past 18 months.

“When my marriage ended I was really worried I’d lose my house but Cassa (Housing Manager) was so supportive. She sat down with me and showed me where I could access concessions to help with electricity and utility payments to help manage things. Then with the housing work, Brett (Project Maintenance officer) has been so hands-on. They’ve both been very understanding.

“I’m so house-proud now.”

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