The St Vincent de Paul Society NSW has instituted a range of processes and procedures to measure the impact of our good works in supporting people experiencing hardship and disadvantage. These structures, in accordance with the priorities identified in our Strategic Plan, are refined over time as part of a One Society approach to ensure the best possible outcomes for those we assist and to inform decisions relating to the future of the Society.

The work undertaken by our people in communities throughout New South Wales is informed through three primary categories: conference work, services, and advocacy.

Learn more about how we measure our impact in each of these areas.

CONFERENCE WORK

St Vincent de Paul Society members are regularly the most visible public representation of our good works given their presence in close to 370 communities across the state, performing works of service in groups referred to as conferences.

At the core of this work is visitation – the act of members visiting people in their homes, nursing homes, and hospitals. Conference work, for many of our members, is aligned closely to living out their faith by performing acts of service viewed as ‘seeing the face of Christ in the poor’. Members take the time to know and understand the struggles confronting people in times of hardship, providing material assistance with food and electricity vouchers, furniture and clothing, and helping with other living expenses such as medical bills or back to school costs. The restrictions of the pandemic have caused members to adapt to public health orders with visitations taking place virtually and through contactless drop-offs.

SERVICES

The services provided by the St Vincent de Paul Society are delivered by trained staff and volunteers in accordance with professional standards. These services encompass directorates including homelessness and housing, disability and community inclusion, and health.

Services are designed and developed with the following impact vision statement in mind:

People have improved wellbeing, social and economic participation, and acceptance as a result of interacting with our services, through:

• Having access to, or remaining in long-term, stable and safe accommodation that meets individual needs
• Ability to maintain or improve health and wellbeing based on personal circumstances
• People and communities being more accepting, inclusive and knowledgeable of each other
• Capability of making informed choices and having access to supports that meet individual needs

This impact is monitored by the Society through the following outcomes:

• Stability in personal finances and accommodation
• People have stable mental and physical health
• People feel connected to others
• People are able to deal with challenges in an effective way and recover quickly

ADVOCACY

The Society’s work in the advocacy and social justice space may not yield the same immediate and material results seen by conference members and services, yet remains a fundamental component of the mission and vision espoused by Frederic Ozanam two centuries ago.

We recognise the systemic structures that entrench poverty and disadvantage, culminating in people from all walks of life needing to seek assistance, and work to bring about reforms that restore dignity to the lives of all.

The Society aspires to shape a more just and compassionate society and works to bring about legislative change by using its reputation as a leading social service provider and widespread reach to collaborate with stakeholders in government, industry, and the private sector in pursuit of realising its aspiration.