News from The House ... No images? Click here Karinya News - July 2021Dear Friends of KarinyaJuly 2021... Here today and gone tomorrow! The new financial year has started in much the same fashion as the first half of 2021 - at a pace! We do hope this email finds you safe and well as new challenges continue to be present amidst our daily lives. We have certainly had a Canberra winter this year and the abundance of water continues with gratitude. Although in the Region, the extreme cold and wet has played some havoc. Some of the team travel into Canberra from various mileage beyond the border so the trip is becoming a bit of a 'dodge the pot hole' affair! We are currently walking alongside 41 women. We are eagerly awaiting the arrival of 12 babies .. we have already welcomed 14 this calendar year. We have a full house with 9 women, 5 primary school aged children, a toddler, 8 babies and one baby due! The impact of the gendered violence in our society continues to be evident, with 78% of women we walked alongside in July having experienced domestic or family violence. 54% of women being supported by Karinya are waiting for access to safe and affordable housing through Housing ACT. Many of these women have no choice but to live in unsafe places while they wait. In the last 12 months, only 6 women have been able to access a safe and affordable home for them and their family through Housing ACT. Over the 2020/2021 financial year we walked alongside 187 women (and their babies, children, families). Our footprint is small. And it is personal. The average support period was 116 days. For 2020/2021 the cost of support per woman averages out at $10,564 per woman, or $91 per woman per day of support. This small daily investment in a woman's life can, with her, change her life. It can have intergenerational change also. Another 87 persons received immediate support, advice and cross referral as may have been required upon contact with Karinya House. The support given did not extend into a recorded open support period. Every day, every moment, every person matters. Thank you for walking with us. We hope you enjoy the news from The House... Celebrating Carolyn and KimAt our recent mid-year staff, committee and volunteers gathering, we had occasion to celebrate two of our amazing Support Workers. who are moving on to new stages in their journeys. Carolyn Burns has been with us for almost 19 years (since May 2002!) and retired in April. Kim O’Dea has been with us 2013, and at the time of her resignation had provided 8 years of service as a Support Worker. You can read more about these two fabulous members of the Karinya Team here. The year past and the year to come. Financially...Given the times of 2020/2021, the Karinya Committee had set a subdued donor funding target, welcoming the support of the ACT and Commonwealth Government through COVID-19 Stimulus packages to keep us in balance. Commonwealth support ceased in October 2020 for Karinya. The ACT Government continued to provide rent relief through to 31/12/2020 (which we also continued for residents for this period). We salute you all - our community of support. Donor revenue for 2020/2021 actually remained in line with prior years! We welcomed new donors and we continue to be so very thankful for the recurring support of the majority of our existing donor base. Changes in life journeys including impacts of COVID-19 did cease the donor journey for some and our gratitude remains with them also for being able to walk with us for so long. The support of our donors - all of you - has supported a solid and positive financial year end result, which gives us a strong financial position to lead into the 2021/2022 year. The budget for this current financial year, has seen our donor target revert to previous levels, to ensure a breakeven financial result. Our donor/fundraising target for 2021/2022 is $634,700 representing 30% of our operating revenues. As you know, our main cost rests in the wealth of our Karinya Team - women who walk alongside the women we support, every hour, every day of every year. We cannot do what we do without you. Thank you! 💕 Snippets..A woman recently shared her birthday with her and her baby and some of the Karinya Team. Upon receiving Karinya's gift, she noted with gratitude, it was the only gift she had received. The woman expressed how far she had come since her last birthday and how proud she was of herself and the decisions she had been making. A wonderful opportunity for reflection and recognising strength and resilience. A woman we have been walking with across several years has been going through a difficult patch. During a recent conversation (lengthy and distressed) she said. "I don't feel alone....I know you (Karinya) are always there if I need to reach out...it gives me great strength." "You really don’t know how much better I felt at that appointment because you were there." Sometimes, participation can be rather daunting. The Karinya Group Program provides a safe meeting place. Encouraging a woman to take the step to come takes a gentle wandering, and the result may be something like this.... With encouragement and support, one of our health professionals assisted a woman to prepare to attend and walked with her to the venue. Another woman at Group greeted us both so warmly, and then a volunteer offered the woman a hot chocolate. After checking to see if the woman was okay before leaving, the woman said, 'I am glad you helped me to be here, it is really nice. Thank you'. 🌻💜 Join us for the 2021 Mercy Walk for Women...Join us for the 9th Mercy Walk for Women being held online and across the Canberra Region over September 2021. We invite individuals, families, Corporate Teams, Community Groups and Social Clubs… anyone really, across our Region to step up and step out across September 2021. Do your 23 kilometres any way you like across the month. 2021/2022 Memberships are now due...Membership of Karinya House Home for Mothers and Babies Incorporated for the 2021/2022 is now due. $20 per annum. We encourage our supporters to become members of the Association. Membership of the Association is indicative of support for the services of Karinya House for women in our community. If you would like to become a member of our Association, the initial per annum cost is $21 (includes the joining fee 😎). Our Karinya VillageWe have been building the Karinya Village since the early 90's. A safe place. A caring place. A space for women. Women who are pregnant or parenting a baby. We have been supported by so many across and beyond our community for so many years. Amazing humans who understand the gift of time, the gift of a presence - standing alongside, walking with... Thank you to all the people who over the years have been part of the Karinya Village. Our Village is growing and we thank you who have joined us in more recent years. Days are challenging for each one of us at times. Life journeys are each in their own way unique. We thank each of you for walking alongside with us, part years, this year or pledged into the future. For your expressed understanding. Thank you for building with us the Karinya Village. Go easy along your way. Thank you ....To Her Canberra - hosting a Sustainable Fashion Swap on 6 August 2021 - a sold out event with Karinya House as the Charity Partner. We thank corporate partner, stylist Debby Harrington who will be on the expert panel. We also thank Her Canberra for supporting our good Friends and supporters, Pandora's Pre-Loved Clothing with the donation of remaining fashion items for their floor stock. A fabulous, circular event with purpose. Awesome!
Have you had your Magic Pudding this winter? The Canberra Southern Cross Club is again supporting Karinya House through the sale and enjoyment of very Magic Pudding over July and August. A fabulous high spot in Winter.
Timing... Our good Friends at Paddywack Promotional Products have very kindly provided us with cloth facemasks. They feature a sneaky little K. They have certainly come in handy. Thank you to all our service partners - who work with us - supporting women - we cannot mention you all by name but you know who you are. We especially thank all our ACT Health service partners. As the challenges of COVID-19 remain we send to all the staff of all ACT Health services our gratitude and best wishes to you all. Stay safe. We thank our partners within the Community Services Directorate - Housing ACT and Child and Youth Protection Services and One-Link. A shout out also to Roundabout Canberra - who continue to provide so respectfully - packs of baby goods and other items - to support women we are walking alongside. And thank you to all of you for being part of our Karinya Village. We acknowledge the Ngunnawal and Wiradjuri people, and other traditional custodians of the lands across which we work and live. We pay respect to Indigenous Elders past, present and emerging. Sovereignty has never been ceded. It always was and always will be, Aboriginal land. |