Open Support | Caring for the Most Vulnerable Compassion in Action

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Compassion in Action

We brave social barriers to support
those who need it the most

How you can help

HomeOpen Support Admin2022-01-13T02:40:41+00:00

Who We Are

Caring for the marginalised and vulnerable members of our community is at the heart of who we are. Our not-for-profit organisation offers social connections, safety and assistance throughout our community for those who are in intense need yet struggle to find assistance. We take compassion into action.

You are an Important Part of the Community

1 in 4
women and children in Australia experience Domestic and Family Violence

25%
of Australians experience loneliness

+140%
increase in disease burden rate in remote areas compared to major cities

Our Programs

Domestic Violence

We assist women and their children who are escaping abusive homes by providing safe accommodation and specialised support. At Open Support, we work to renew their trust that their future can be a happy and empowered one.

Social Isolation

The Community Connections Program is a no cost program which provides social support to individuals who are experiencing loneliness and isolation in our communities

Country Care Link

We reduce barriers to accessing healthcare services for people who live in regional NSW with free transportation across Greater Sydney.

How You Can Help

The support we provide to the vulnerable members of our community relies on people like you. There is a number of ways you can get involved and enable Open Support to reach and care for more people in need.

Donate

Open Support Gift Shop

Fundraise for us

Volunteer

Leave a gift in your will

Partner with us

Lastest Posts

Congratulations to Sr Margaret Fitzgerald RSC for

Congratulations to Sr Margaret Fitzgerald RSC for receiving the Papal Honour: Pro Ecclesia et Pontifice (For Church and Pope).

💡 A little bit about Sr Margaret: Sr Margaret entered the Sisters of Charity almost sixty years ago, teaching in Catholic Schools in Sydney and Canberra-Goulburn. After teaching, her ministry took a different direction into healthcare being Manager of Pastoral Care and then Executive Director of the Sisters of Charity Outreach, now known as Open Support. She now continues to support and volunteer her time across St Vincent's facilities.

One thing about loneliness is that, as the artist

One thing about loneliness is that, as the artist Stromae sang it so well in his latest track, ‘L’enfer’, “you are not alone feeling alone, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DO8NSL5Wyeg. Loneliness does not discriminate. People from all socio-economic backgrounds globally, both young and elderly alike, can be affected.

Although each person’s experience and situation is unique, this feeling is indeed universal and can trigger a wide range of health risks such as early mortality, depression, anxiety, coronary heart disease, stroke, high blood pressure, and type 2 diabetes, among others.

Studies show that in Australia, around 25% of the population experience high levels of loneliness and this trend is increasing as the pandemic has forced more and more people into isolation.

How can we address this pressing issue? What more can we do to help people experiencing loneliness and social isolation?

Open Support offers meaningful social connections services to help reduce social isolation and acute and chronic loneliness among Australians. To find out more, visit https://opensupport.org.au/our-programs/social-isolation/

#loneliness #socialisolation

Loneliness is a negative feeling that a person can

Loneliness is a negative feeling that a person can experience when their social relations are not the way they would like. It is a personal feeling of social isolation. Prior to the COVID-19 pandemic, many Australians were struggling with loneliness. Recent research conducted by Swinburne University reveals that 1 in 2 Australians report feeling more lonely since COVID-19.

@opensupport_stvincents we work with you as an individual and make a plan how we can reintegrate you into your local community to build connections.

For more information please go to the link in our bio and see our Social Isolation Community Connections Program.

Our program is 100% free of charge to client's as we know you are an important part of the community and we are passionate each and every individual in our program realise their inherent value and joy.

#lonliness #lonely #socialisolation #opensupport #community #connections #individualvalue #joy

Did you know that Australian police get called to

Did you know that Australian police get called to one domestic violence matter every two minutes?
Today, we would like to invite you to watch @ourwatch story about how gender inequality contributes to the murder of around one Australian woman almost every week and how violence starts.
However, this heartbreaking fact can be changed through support and funding, better education, and policies enabling Women and Men to have equal powers, values, and opportunities.
Find out more about how you can together with Open Support help change the narrative and nurture a community that is inclusive and respectful at: https://opensupport.org.au/our-programs/
#stopviolenceagainstwomen

Social Isolation can affect every type of person,

Social Isolation can affect every type of person, from every age group and socio-economic sector.

Our @opensupport_stvincents Community Connections Programs are life-changing for individuals who face social isolation and loneliness across all age groups - from 22- late ’80s.

@opensupport_stvincents we are passionate about offering this free service to every type of individual in the community as we know that you are an important part of our community❤️

#community #communityconnections #socialisolation #opensupport #kindness #socialimpact #connection

As we welcome in the New Year, we here at Open Sup

As we welcome in the New Year, we here at Open Support are dedicated to helping those in need establish and maintain meaningful social interactions within the community.
If you are experiencing loneliness, know that we are here to help with 1:1 support.
#opensupport #socialisolation

Maya and all of @opensupport_stvincents wish you a

Maya and all of @opensupport_stvincents wish you all the health and happiness for 2022 and to always remember that YOU are an important part of community.

#2022 #communitysupport #community #empoweringindividuals #opensupport

2021 has been a challenging year for all of us and

2021 has been a challenging year for all of us and our Open Support programs were inundated with individuals needing our services.

This year our Open Support Domestic and Family Violence Program has supported 52 women and children across crisis and outreach. We have had 9 families move through our crisis facility. That is 9 families transforming their entire lives from one of fear to one of hope. A chance of an empowered future through our programs.

Through your support, we were able to double the number of the women and children we helped in 2020 and for 2022, we hope to far exceed that number as we know the need is immense and tragically growing.

For our Social Isolation Community Connections program, we achieved 5250 hours of direct support. Our program was life-changing for individuals who face social isolation and loneliness across all age groups - from 22- late ’80s.

If Covid has shown us anything, heartbreakingly, like domestic and family violence, social isolation and loneliness does not discriminate and can affect every type of individual, from every age group.

This year the age range of clients we looked after in our social isolation program was from twenty three years old to late eighties.

At Open Support, we believe that everyone is an important part of the community and every single individual deserves to feel positively connected and valued.

Due to Covid, this year we had to cease our Country Care Link service that provides transport for Rural patients attending medical treatments in the city. However, we are thrilled to get this up and running again and will be full steam ahead as of February 2022.

We could not achieve any of this immense positive impact in the community without your support and generosity. The need for our services is immense and we hope to expand in 2022 to achieve a lasting and positive transformational impact on many more lives.

Please go to www.opensupport.org and donate to join us on this mission of empowerment or reach out to me on apower@opensupport.org.au to

Happy NY from all of us at Open Support and we look forward to meeting you in the New Year.
#opensupport #helpingcommunities #empowering

What is violence against women? According to the

What is violence against women?

According to the UN declaration, violence against women is: “any act of gender-based violence that causes or could cause physical, sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women, including threats of harm or coercion, in public or in private life.”

Domestic Violence is an all-year issue, however, incidents often surge over the Holiday season. So far This Financial Year, Open Support has supported 52 women across our crisis and outreach services, to escape domestic and family violence and find hope for a safer future.

If you are experiencing any form of domestic and family violence or abuse and need support, contact DV Line on 1800 65 64 63 (NSW Residents), who can refer you to our program or another service depending on your needs. If you are anywhere else in Australia, call 1800 RESPECT on 1800 737 732 for further information and support.

If you are in immediate danger or know someone who is, call the police on 000.

#stopviolenceagaintswomen

@opensupport_stvincents there is not a truer state

@opensupport_stvincents there is not a truer statement than the fact we could not have the immensely positive impact we do in the local community if it was not for the support of individuals in our community.

When you donate to @opensupport_stvincents you know you are directly having a positive and profound impact on the life of a vulnerable individual in your community.

Just as these individuals did who donated to our Christmas campaign and had their names pinned to a wool heart crocheted 🧶 by our wonderful @opensupport_stvincents volunteers, by giving, you are extending our heart to have a positive impact on the life of another.

We need you. We need your support. Heartbreakingly the numbers of very vulnerable in our communities is rapidly growing. We need your support so we can help more of these individuals in our @opensupport_stvincents programs. Whether it is women and children escaping domestic violence and finding refuge in our safe houses, lonely individuals that society had otherwise forgotten finding hope and positive connections in our Community Connections program or a rural patient able to have a driver in the big city, to make their trip for medical treatment less stressful… we need your support as @opensupport_stvincents cannot have the major positive impact in the community it does without your kindness and generosity in charitable donations.

Please sign up for a monthly donation today. For as little as $10 or $100 a month, you could be giving hope to the life of a vulnerable individual. All donations are tax deductible.

Please give today and know that by extending your heart to the community by giving to our @opensupport_stvincents programs you are making a very real and positive investment into the life of a vulnerable individual in your community.

Link to give in bio or go to www.open support.org.au

Or for more information email apower@opensupport.org.au

#communityimpact #communityambassador #supportlocal #generosity #giveyourheart #opensupport #localimpact #domesticviolence #womensrefuge #empoweringwomen #empowering #empoweringcommunities #kindness #empathy #support #socialisolation #stvincentsclinic

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