As a small frontline service, and the only service specifically for women experiencing homelessness in South Australia, we are very conscious to make sure that everything we do, every dollar we spend, is targeted at getting better outcomes for the clients we support.
It is you, our invaluable supporters, that ensure charity organisations and support services like Catherine House can continue. The doors of our Emergency and Recovery Programs are open twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week for women who desperately need our support and the opportunity to make a difference in their lives.
Currently, we are only 60% funded by government, which means every year we need to call on our community to provide the additional 40% to ensure we can simply open our doors.
We are so grateful that every year, you answer our call and help us to change lives for the women who come through our doors. We truly couldn’t have the impact we do, without your support.
With some sadness, I am also writing to tell you that I am leaving Catherine House in March 2020. In my past three years at Catherine House, I have been so privileged to come to know a community that cares, a community that is so generous, and a community that is willing to commit to making a difference to those less fortunate.
I have been so honoured to be the face of a service that strives to help the most disadvantaged in our community in a way that is meaningful and makes a permanent difference to their lives. The commitment of each staff member and volunteer to hearing, seeing and helping each individual woman to recover from the trauma that brought her into homelessness, to rebuild her life and move on from homelessness permanently, is heart-warming.
While I am leaving, there remains a strong, skilled and dedicated Leadership Team committed to continuing the exemplary services that Catherine House has become known for. Alongside them are an incredible group of staff from front line to admin that ensure our service provision continues seamlessly, no matter what else is changing. Please feel assured that during this transition phase, it will be business as usual at Catherine House.
Again, on behalf of Catherine House and the women who will stay with us this year, thank you so much for your support and we look forward to another wonderful year making a difference to the lives of women in our community.