A note from the CEO
Hello,
On behalf of the entire team at SEFA I extend a warm welcome to all of our clients, investors and partners, without whom we could not do the work we do.
SEFA continues to focus on fostering strong relationships and working with organisations and people determined to deliver social impact.
In recent months SEFA has turned much of its attention to one of the fastest growing problems in our communities, that of homelessness. As the numbers of homeless escalates due to a range individual issues including mental illness, drug and alcohol dependency, loss of employment, domestic violence or the increasing cost of housing, SEFA is providing financial support to incredible organisations working with the homeless. A new partner for SEFA is Providential Homes based in Western Sydney run by Warren and Cheryle Weir. Providential, a non-denominational Christian based NFP, provides temporary and transitional support for a large number of the homeless, victims of domestic violence and for those being released from prison. SEFA is currently working with Providential to fund accommodation for a pilot program to house and work with male perpetrators of domestic violence upon their release from prison.
SEFA is working closely with a number of homeless providers in conjunction with various Government departments to explore how we can contribute possible funding solutions to counteract this growing problem. From a personal perspective, the commitment and quality of people working for next to no reward or recognition, dealing with homelessness and its many problems is inspiring. The challenge for Governments is to find better ways to support organisations to create comfortable and safe places for the homeless with the necessary support services. For example, as the number of homeless women over the age of 50 rises dramatically, how can Government, authorised service providers and the private sector work together to ensure this group has a safe community in which to live? We are encouraged by the NSW Government’s FACS releasing an EOI for new temporary accommodation models and the NSW Treasury’s OSII calling for more simplistic outcomes based payments focusing on youth unemployment.
A number of SEFA’s other major partners are initiating new housing models including the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation in Victoria committing a substantial investment in a new Affordable Housing Challenge and Habitat for Humanity in Victoria, NSW and South Australia continuing to deliver affordable homes for families in need.
I would like to take this opportunity to say farewell to a number of long standing members of the team. Sandra Kemp who was with SEFA right from the start in 2011 has moved onto the University of Sydney in a key operations role, Director Glen Saunders a long standing contributor to SEFA and 30 year veteran of the Dutch and UK social bank Triodos has retired and Dick Boddeus who has returned with his family to The Netherlands.
I am pleased to welcome two new excellent members of the team, Wendy Chan, as our new relationship manager joining us from Bank of Queensland and our new Chief Operating Officer Linda Carseldine, formerly Australian and Asian CFO for CGI Global. Both bring a great deal of experience to SEFA.
We look forward to working with you to deliver more social impact.
Alastair McGibbon
CEO