Our CCB budget for 16/17 has been approved by the Dept. This now enables us to start work on some of the bathroom areas in need of repair at Carrical.
Category Archives: Finances
Back to the Future 2.
Following on from yesterday’s blast from the past HeartBeat re the hard rubbish collection in Box Hill many moons ago ………………..
We received an online donation of $1000 dollars today. One of our Team Servants ’16 runners had $50 donated to their running page. The parents of one of our resos committed $10,000 to some beautifying of an outdoor area at Hamer that requires some beautifying for resos to enjoy more fully. All this today. This takes me back to the days of the early 2000s and to Warren’s now infamous Shark Graph. We had no money. Like ….. NONE!! Richard Horne ran our accounts at that time ….. I used to sit down with him every second Tuesday morning and we would look at the figures together. The typical conversation was led off by Richard with ‘Ok Matt, we have $53,000 of bills to pay ….. and $4,200 to pay them with. What do we pay first?’ Halcyon days? No, most definitely not!! But I do believe that they were instrumental days in setting us up to be who we are today as it helped us to understand why we thought we had a unique and very special model of community housing; that we had something that was worth fighting for rather than taking our bat and ball and going home.
Having successfully acquired our full suite of ATO concessions in, I guess, the mid to late noughties, I remember well the first $1000 donation that came in. It felt like a game-changer. It probably WAS a game-changer at that stage of things.
And here we are in 2016 …….. where days like today with money and gifts coming in to us are now the norm. We have come a long, long way from those days. However, we would be wise to never take these things for granted. On each and every occasion we are treated as a trusted beneficiary of others income we should be as delighted as that first gift of $1000 many moons ago.
Still reading dear reader? If so, the only place to finish this HeartBeat is to recognize the quite enormous efforts that have gone into our finances over many years, particularly by Warren, but with the help of numerous others too. Great care with our finances over these years ensure that we are still here today to be the blessed beneficiaries of days like today.
Romana announcement
The announcement at Romana on Tuesday will occur at 3.45pm. All welcome.
Josh F
Josh Frydenberg has been talking with me of late about our idea of creating a women’s only house. Much earlier in the year he inquired of the St John’s, Camberwell folk in regards to the potential use of their Old Vicarage for community housing purposes – like us he received a big, fat ‘not interested’ as the answer!
Josh called me late last week to ask if Servants would be happy for him to try to get some money to Servants for purposes of setting up some women’s only housing – a pre-election promise kind of arrangement. We talked it through a bit, I wrote his office a simple letter requesting some financial help to assist us in getting this project off the ground …………. and much to my surprise he phoned me today saying he had been approved to get $300,000 to Servants for this purpose ……… and he would like to have a media opportunity at Romana next Tuesday to announce this news alongside Julie Bishop – apparently she holds a fairly significant position, but I don’t know a lot about these things.
I confess to feeling more than a little out of my depth on this issue of politicians and $$$$. Warren and I have been talking through the scenario of receiving said money from Josh and we believe it to be an appropriate course of action.
I appreciate that there will be many questions that will require answering at committee level.
In the meantime Josh has asked that Servants keeps this info to ourselves for the time-being, and I think we should honor this request.
Audit Day. Or should that be Pudding Day?
Tuesday 28th July 2015. Audit Day.
The office was abuzz and awash with people – our full Accounts team on display alongside 2 Audit type folks. Audit days in previous years have proved to be painful, grit your teeth and think of England kind of days. Today’s audit, relatively, appeared to be a serene journey of, if not quite jovial banter and rapier-like witticisms, well, calm, peaceful, non-confrontational and almost collegiate agreement. Almost. Like pudding, one must search deep within for the proof. Apparently. And, just like said pudding, it will only be when our now chums from the Audit place get back to us in the coming weeks that we will truly know how successful, or otherwise, today has proved to be. I believe all will be well. Just like a well cooked pudding.
Trinity x 2
Although we are well into the school year I have been informed in the past week that 2 of Trinity Grammar’s 8 Houses have chosen us as their charities of choice for 2015. Great to continue to develop the relationship with Trinity – and being the charity of choice is handy from a financial viewpoint too!
CCB. Option 2. Maintenance.
We have just completed our CCB review of 2014/15 and submitted our proposed budget for 2015/16 (the first organization to submit these documents I might add!!)
We carry $143,000 of CCB into the new financial year and anticipate that we will collect nearly $73,000 in the 2015/16 year. Of this amount we are requesting that all but $4000 for Community Dinners be used for maintenance at Carrical. If approved, as it should be, this means we should end 30/6/16 with $212,000 ready for use for maintenance at Carrical – depending of course on what we might have spent in the 15/16 year.
Carrical Roof.
As many of you will be aware we have been awaiting the report on the state of the roof at Carrical for several months now. DHHS contacted me yesterday to inform me that the report had now been sent to them. The report is comprehensive in its detail. All items that require any amount of maintenance/attention have been categorized as A, B or C. A is urgent, B is necessary and C does not require immediate attention. The Dept informed me yesterday that they will take on all A and B items and rectify them. This includes new gutters, slates, downpipes, Gutterguard etc. Very good news indeed!!
RC Hawthorn
Rotary Club of Hawthorn informed me yesterday that they will be supplying Hamer with a new $3000 freezer for the staff kitchen, a new fridge for the Resos Kitchen at Carrical and will be sponsoring 2 of our resos for Run Melbourne $250 each.
Whilst on the subject of Rotary we have been informed by RC Glenferrie that they are donating $2000 to us and RC Canterbury are donating $1000 to Team Servants ’15. The generosity that has come our way as a result of establishing relationships with local Clubs has really been terrific. I would not know quite where to begin in terms of putting a $ figure on it all – but it would be quite substantial by now. Of course, our relationship with Rotary cannot be measured in crude $ terms alone. I am very grateful to them for all their support and encouragement and for the friendships that have arisen thru these networks. I am also quite sure that Rotary loves Servants too!!
In a nutshell ……………….
The Budget for 2015/16 has been struck and is now awaiting committee approval at the June meeting. Many, many thanks to Isaac for his work over many weeks in setting the template for the budget so beautifully – and equally as may thanks to Amanda and Kara this week who have spent more hours than I care to consider fine tuning and refining it. I trust that all committee members will be pleased with the final document.
Whilst on the subject of thanks ……………… Mark and Amanda, with me on the periphery, have worked thru some very difficult resident issues this week. It is fair to say that all the houses are running beautifully BUT the issues they have dealt with this such care and wisdom have doubtless been exhausting. I think one of our great organizational strengths is the absolute quality we have in Amanda and the Housekeepers and the care with which they go about their tasks of interacting with the resos.
Whilst taxing reso issues and budget tinkering have taken up most of the week I managed to talk at both Strathcona and Carey. The talk to Strathcona was especially good.
A new female reso moved into Hamer today. Good news! The Empty Room Nigh total for fin year to date is 98 – wobbling on the very precipice of 100!! I will be doing all within my significant powers to ensure the 100 Night barrier is NOT broached. Watch this space. We budgeted for 720 Empty Nights for the fin year – so I guess we’re doing ok.
Team Servants ’15 progress remains pleasing. There are currently 24 established Supporter Pages and an increasing number of enquiries about our team. Our total income to date for the Team is just inxs of $3500. Yes, still very long way to go – but good progress. Our Leaderboard, in terms of donations received, is our very own President Warren. The Pres currently has a very healthy $1100 gap between himself and The Husband of Vice-President Connie. Not that this is a competition of course, no, of course not. Next week the resos will have their Supporter Pages established. Let’s face it, who wants to be financially beaten by a homeless guy!!??
We found out today that Bunnings are giving us a shed for Hamer worth $900.
Sacred Heart
Some of you may have seen the recently published articles about the Journey To Social Inclusion program being operated by Sacred Heart Mission. I have included just one of the articles below for your perusal and edification.
Their model is based around intensive and individually tailored support and rapid access to permanent housing; therapeutic services to address the trauma that is both a cause and a consequence of long term homelessness and a skills building program that equips participants with life skills, assisting them to reconnect with the mainstream community and build social networks outside of the homeless subculture.
They conservatively estimate that for each person who is successfully housed by them for a period of 12 months equates to a cost saving to the community in the vicinity of $30,000 – $35,000.
And why should Servants be interested in this? Because what they do is not a million miles away from what we do and because the cost savings that we bring to the wider community are doubtless just as significant. I suggest that when find we have a few spare minutes to draw breath that we should very seriously consider beginning to understand the community benefit, in terms of dollars, that our services provide. This would provide us with further compelling evidence moving forward to argue strongly for our unique model of housing.
30 APRIL 2015
MEDIA RELEASE Home-grown solution key to solving long-term homelessness
• Study shows 75% of participants remain in stable housing after four years
• 80% decline in the need for health services
• Study delivered savings to Government up to $32,080 per participant
The report, released today, shows sustained positive outcomes were still being seen one year after services, with 75% still in stable housing, in comparison with only 58% of a control group receiving existing homelessness services. Another significant outcome of the study was the 80% decline in the need for health services amongst J2SI participants, versus a 21% increase in the need for these services amongst the control group. The 48 month report, independently evaluated by RMIT and Melbourne University, is the first of its kind to undertake an longitudinal, randomised control trial over four years, that measured a pilot group of 40 J2SI participants receiving intensive services from case workers against a control group of 43 participants receiving existing services.
Further analysis by Sacred Heart Mission has shown that when we set aside the control group and compare the cost to Government of servicing J2SI participants at the start of the study, with that same cost at the 48-month mark, the benefit for government is assessed as $70,365 per participant ($17,591 per year).
“Long-term and chronic homelessness presents quite a different challenge to short-term homelessness,” said CEO of Sacred Heart Mission in St Kilda, Cathy Humphrey. “The effects on the individual, society and economy are costly and complex, with the cycle being harder to break the longer the person has been in that situation. J2SI found that developing a sustained trusting relationship between a case worker and a participant, addressing the trauma that causes a person to fall into the cycle of homelessness is critical, alongside rapid access to safe affordable housing. “However, as every person is different, there is no one size fits all model to solving homelessness, so the solution must be individualised. These people are entrenched in a systemic cycle of disadvantage and require significant support to unpack the effects of a life time of disadvantage, and to rebuild a future. “Our study shows that with the right investment, significant breakthroughs can be delivered and measured in order to address the bigger picture issue of homelessness across Australia. The program’s holistic approach has resulted in a significant reduction in the use of costly, emergency health services, placing less strain on public services and government.”
MP Martin Foley, Minister for Housing Disability and Ageing, who is officially launching the report on April 30 at the Royal College of Australian Surgeons, said, “The Andrews Labor Government strongly believes in working with community organisations like Sacred Heart to develop strategies that break the cycle of homelessness and improve support to homeless people.” “As both the member for Albert Park and Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing, I am proud of the outstanding work done locally by Sacred Heart Mission with the many homeless people in my local area. I am also proud to have such world-leading research on such an important social issue produced in my local community.
“The work being done by Sacred Heart Mission through the Journey to Social Inclusion program is providing invaluable information as we look at tackling the problem of long-term homelessness and entrenched generational disadvantage.”
Having established the evidence base for a promising new service model, Sacred Heart Mission is now seeking assistance to raise $4 million in funding to roll out J2SI Mark II, a refined pilot intended to improve outcomes, and demonstrate the capacity to deliver the program at scale. The longer term goal is to roll out the program nationally with community sector partners and State and Federal governments.
In order to achieve this objective, a sustainable and diversified funding base will be required, incorporating Government, corporate and philanthropic partners working in partnership with the Mission.
An online version of the report is available at www.sacredheartmission.org
• At the conclusion of a three-year Pilot, 85% of J2SI participants were in independent housing, with 75% remaining in housing a year after support services ceased
• Participants’ use of emergency health services declined by over 80% (an outcome that has been sustained since the Pilot’s cessation)
• J2SI participants’ average use of emergency hospital services declined by 80%, from 1.5 instances in the preceding six months at the start of the study, to 0.3 instances at the 48 month mark o In comparison, the control group experienced a 21% increase in the need for emergency hospital services at the 48 month mark
• J2SI participants’ average use of emergency psychiatric assistance declined from 1.5 instances in the preceding six months at baseline, to 0.1 at the 48 month mark o In comparison, there was no material change amongst the control group
• A continued decline in the number of days J2SI participants were incarcerated
• An increased use of employment services and willingness to work during the program’s duration
• A consistent improvement in perceived social support and acceptance; the two key indicators used to measure social inclusion
For interviews please contact:
Jessica.mangan@redagency.com.au 03 9426 5341/ 0416 544 855 Mia.cochrane@redagency.com.au 03 9426 5348/ 0401 962 623
Office Manager
Our search for an Office Manager concluded this morning when Madeline Tucker accepted our job offer. Many, but not all of us, will already be familiar with Madeline. This is a very exciting appointment for Servants and we very much look forward to Madeline joining the ‘engine room’ of the organization in a few weeks time.
Donation Friday
Last Friday 4 donations were received; a $5 donation from a lady who wanted to contribute to Narrative costs, $105 from a teacher at Xavier, $3000 from one of the houses at Carey who have been fundraising for us throughout the year and $30,000 from an annual donor. Not too bad for one day!
Audit
The audit was carried out yesterday. Most things seemed to be in order with a couple of queries still to be answered. The overall feeling from the auditor being that we were more organized/in a better place than 12 months ago.
Yajilarra
I had a meeting today with David Allan from the Yajilarra Trust. Yajilarra have supported Servants with various financial gifts over many years now.
A successful look around Carrical and Romana (including meeting a couple of Carrical resos) concluded with David explaining that Yajilarra remains very keen to continue partnering and assisting Servants into the future.
It was terrific to be able to finally understand what makes Yajilarra ‘tick.’
The thing they are most interested in supporting us with is seeing our unique model replicated in other places/with other groups.
There will doubtless be significant further dialogue into the future – but today’s meeting in itself was a success.
The week in Romana
The week just ending has been the busiest week at Romana to date. All week the house has been full of builders, tilers, painters, Rotarians, folks coming for interviews etc. It has been a veritable hive of activity. The one possible delay at this stage is the delivery of white goods to complete the Managers and Residents Kitchens. I am still hopeful of moving the first reso in on Wednesday 30th April – but this might now be delayed by a few days. The progress is immense – day by day we are just seeing the house taking shape between our eyes – it is an exhilarating process. The generosity that so many people are showing Servants is very touching; we have been given truly great deals by several tradies – all of which helps to keep the costs down and helps us to come in under budget.
Meeting with Matrix managing director
Matrix on board were contracted to help manage our financial operations mid last year. To date they have not met expectations and David served notice on them a few weeks ago.
This week I met with the founding managing director, Morri Young, to share our observations with him. It was a friendly, but frank and fierce, conversation over a couple of hours. Morri now understands our business better than anyone at Matrix. And he was very apologetic about how they had serviced us.
It’s now David’s call whether Matrix has a place working with Servants, but I am glad we have worked it through with them in relationship and honesty and self reflection.
Warren.
$6450
I had a phone call from Ngaire (pronounced Nyree) from Hawthorn Rotary this morning. They will be giving us $6450 for a new freezer at Carrical, posh raised garden beds at Romana and industrial sized slow-cookers for each of the 3 houses. The new freezer for Carrical is particularly important.
Good news!
I was also informed that they have approved their Club funding the set-up costs of a ‘Men’s Shed’ type facility at Carrical. This will equate to a few thousand dollars.
Printer
Following the financial/Narrative book quantity decisions taken at last night’s extraordinary committee meeting I talked to Printer Chris from Southern Color this morning. He remains excited about the job/publication and is now working on figures etc to make things work. All good. In many ways little changes from my end – I still intend to hunt each and every dollar down for the project so that we are not out of pocket and the Yajilarra money can live to seed still more adventures for us.
Harvard Club of Victoria
I heard this morning that I have not been offered an interview for a scholarship from the Harvard Club of Victoria.
Recognizing that bringing Romana onboard has plenty of costs associated with it I have already commenced looking elsewhere for funds to help pay for the tuition at Harvard.