Housing Support Services

Housing Support Services provides transitional support services to young people aged 15-25 and men with dependent children who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

The aim is to achieve self reliance and independence by assisting people to resolve crises, re-establish family links, improve their access to social supports and other services and move into long-term secure housing.

CAFS team of housing workers help to:

• Advocate for our young people

• Support young people to become strong &independent with a vision for their future

• Encourage and assist them to return to study and/orseek employment

• Support young people to become Rent Ready

• Seek funding to assist them to maintain a rentalproperty

• Build their self confidence and establish trust in others

• Support them when their relationships are failing

• Support and assist them to become good parents witha vision for their children’s future.

Referrals via our Moorabool and Hepburn offices and via the entry point at Uniting Care, Dana St, Ballarat.

Our Vision: Wellbeing, respect and safety for all children and families

Our Mission: Our mission is to strengthen and empower individuals, families and communities in order to heal from the oppression of disadvantage, alienation from culture and social connections and the trauma of abuse and violence

185

employees working at CAFS
to help strengthen and
empower individuals, families
and communities

2,386

phone calls received
for family support
for the year ended
30 June 2011

$3.75m

in client debts written off
by creditors such as banks
and utilities
with CAFS help

CAFS Values

Flexibility: Being adaptable to changing circumstances in the workplace, prioritising work, addressing what is most important and taking advantage of new and emerging opportunities.

Resilience: The capacity to recover from setbacks, overcome obstacles and impediments, and the ability to learn from experience and identify areas for self development.

Client/Member focused: Prioritising the needs of clients and members, aiming for best outcomes for clients and members, being focused on the outcome and following through with commitments.

Inclusive: Recognising the rights of others, being committed to social justice and social inclusion, making equitable decisions and respecting and valuing difference and diversity in all its forms.

Ethical: High standards of personal integrity, being truthful and reflecting expected standards of behaviour consistent with the CAFS Code of Conduct and professional Codes of Ethics.

Collaborative: Working with others to achieve common goals, engendering a spirit of teamwork, listening actively, inspiring confidence and demonstrating empathy when confronted with adversity.