Reimagine - April 2023

Thanks to our kind supporters, we continue to support our community’s most vulnerable to be safe, thriving and hopeful, despite the tough economic times.

In this edition of Reimagine we share a heart-warming update on siblings Antonio*, Georgia* and Katie* whose story we told last Christmas. Through the generous support of the Berry Street community, we were able to give them the happiness they deserve.

I am excited to introduce some of our bright, young donors - Bette (8) and Viv (11). These inspirational kids were motivated to give back and be a force for good, so they created a market fundraiser and successfully raised some very impressive funds!

We are also pleased to share with you Steven’s* story. At a challenging time in his life Steven found stability and independence through our Going Out and Living Successfully (GOALS) program, which enabled him to complete Year 12. GOALS provides support and accommodation for young people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or about to leave out-of-home care.

Berry Street is here to courageously change lives and reimagine service systems so people experiencing poverty, violence and abuse get the help they need to recover and thrive. Read all about the programs we’re offering to have lasting impact.

Thank you again for your support. Please enjoy this edition of Reimagine and reading how your support is changing lives.

Michael Perusco
Chief Executive Officer

At Christmas time we shared the story of siblings Georgia*, Antonio* and Katie*. Sadly, we couldn’t find a foster carer who could take all three siblings together and they had to be separated.

Now we’re delighted to share that we have been able to recruit and train a foster carer that can support the three of them together. As Georgia and Katie were with one carer and Antonio with another, it was such a special moment when they first saw each other again.

Now they’re all living under the same safe, loving roof. Instead of spending their time worrying and feeling homesick for each other, they can be carefree like all kids deserve to be. They can ride their bikes and scooters together and play on the playground.

Importantly, they can now focus on healing from the trauma they experienced at home which was compounded by their separation. And thanks to all our generous supporters, Berry Street is here to help them through this too.

Steven* was 18 years old when a family breakdown led to him losing not only his parent’s support, but a place to call home. He was just 6 months away from finishing Year 12.

He was unable to live with his extended family or in foster care. He was sleeping on his friend’s sofa and even a garage, with no stable place night to night.

Desperate to remain in school, Steven needed a safe and stable home – one where he could study and plan for his future.

Steven was referred to our Going Out and Living Successfully (GOALS) program, which provides support and accommodation for young people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or about to leave out-of-home care.

Steven moved into his new unit and happily set about making it his home. He also began working towards getting his driver’s licence, through Berry Street’s L2P program.

“Steven is so proud of his new home and keeps it very neat and tidy. He is always willing to lend a hand…and is very welcoming of the other residents,” said Penny*, his case manager.

By providing safe, secure and consistent accommodation, GOALS residents are free to focus on their education, training and employment.

With the support of the live-in mentor and other GOALs program staff, Steven was supported to:

• develop practical independent living skills
• increase his self-esteem and confidence
• build strong links to his community.

Steven excelled in his final term at school and got his driver’s licence. After he graduated, he got a full-time job and has been recommended for a leadership role. He’s saving hard so he’ll be ready to leave the GOALS program and live independently. Thanks to your support young people like Steven can be given the opportunity to become independent, safely.

8-year-old Bette and older sister Viv, who is 11, recently organised a local Kids-for-Kids market day. It was a big hit and they raised over $500 for Berry Street!

Bette wanted to help the kids at Berry Street after hearing about Albie*, a child who, thanks to support from donors like you, was helped to recover from trauma, abuse and neglect.

So Bette and Viv got to work. Bette created some beautiful paintings as well as some jewellery and Viv made some brightly coloured tie-dye clothes for the stall. She also tried her hand at busking and kept going until her throat hurt, all to raise as much money as possible. Well done, Bette and Viv!

This beautiful gesture all started with Bette after she was inspired to try and be a force for good. Their enthusiasm were infectious and they recruited some friends to help out. It was a great success, and we are so grateful for the heartfelt support.

So where to from here? The girls are keen to keep raising money for Berry Street – they've started a little enterprise called Grinning Souls and are planning to have a stall at a local family welcome night. They are also in the process of setting up an online store. Keep up the great work, Bette and Viv!

Whether you've been supporting Berry Street for decades, or have recently joined our community, you’ll know that we strive to courageously change lives and reimagine service systems.

Our organisation was founded on leading social and systemic change. We began in 1877, when a group of courageous women defied the social norms of the day to care for mothers and babies who had been abandoned. Today, we exist to help those experiencing poverty, violence and abuse, and to help families stay together in safe and healthy homes.

Despite the positive changes we’ve seen, for some young people and their families, life is getting worse. The good news is there has never been greater awareness of the importance of addressing trauma, and we now have tried and tested approaches that work, and are changing lives

*Names in some stories have been changed in the interest of protection and privacy. In order to protect the identity of our clients, we only use images of models and volunteers. The people pictured in our stories are not connected to the case studies presented.