This week is Foster Care Week and Veritas House will celebrate with a range of activities recognising the significant contribution local Foster Carers make to the lives of vulnerable children and young people and to encourage local residents to consider becoming a Carer.

A highlight will include the announcement of the ‘Deb Elsley Memorial Award’, recognising two exceptional Carers who displays the Veritas House organisational values of relationships, collaboration, compassion and authenticity. It will also see Foster Carers presented with 5, 10, 15 and 20 year service awards acknowledging their dedication and contribution to children and young people.

According to Veritas House Permanency Support Program Operations Manager, Toneya Carr-Smith, the awards are designed to acknowledge the significant contribution local Foster Carers make in providing a safe and supportive home environment for children in Out of Home Care.

“Our Foster Carers play a critical role in assisting children and young people in their care to grow and develop in a happy and heathy way and we are excited about the opportunity to honour and celebrate the contribution they make to our region,” said Toneya.

There remains a critical shortage of carers in NSW. Around 350 homes are needed right now for children and young people in care in NSW.

“The Veritas House team provide essential training, support, and resources for Foster Carers and guide you through every step” said Toneya.

Veritas House has also recently had accreditation to provide out-of-home care services renewed for five years by the Office of the Children’s Guardian.

“Receiving our accreditation for a further five years gives Veritas House great stability for the future, ensuring that we can continue to support children and young people in out-of-home care”, said Jody Pearce, Chief Executive Officer.

If you think you can bring happiness and stability into a child’s life and are interested in finding out more about becoming a Foster Carer, call Veritas House on 6332 3882 or visit veritashouse.org.au/foster-care/

Despite strong support from the community, we regrettably announce the cancellation of this year’s Winter Ball, which had been scheduled for August 12.

The decision to cancel the Ball is a particularly difficult one, especially given the success of last year’s sold-out event.

We were really looking forward to hosting our supporters once again this year, however, due to staff changes and a number of competing demands on our agency at this time, we unfortunately do not have the capacity over the next couple of months to organise an event of this size to the standard our supporters have come to expect from Veritas House.

We share the disappointment of all who hoped to attend this year’s Ball. Thank you to everyone who had already secured tickets; we will of course be issuing refunds. And we’d like to sincerely thank our incredible sponsors; this year’s platinum sponsor, Peak Connect, gold sponsors Raine & Horne Bathurst, Bathurst RSL, Bathurst Goldfields, Radio 2BS and Western Advocate, silver sponsors Verto and See Saw Wines, and bronze sponsors Ross Hill Wines, Capital Chemist and Central Commercial Printers.

Another factor in the decision has been the number of other charities, services and community groups who have announced Balls and fundraising events this year. Given the enormous success of our fundraising Ball last year, which exceeded our expectations, we don’t want to compete with our local service and charity partners this year but encourage the community to get behind their events instead.

In lieu of this opportunity to fundraise for our service and given that the event was to coincide with National Homelessness Week, we encourage members of the community who are still keen to support us to contribute a tax-deductible donation towards our Transitional Youth Housing Appeal.

Christmas is set to be a whole lot brighter for local young people who have transitioned from homelessness into independent living and vulnerable families, thanks to sizable donations from Orange Ex-Services and Bathurst RSL Clubs.  

The Clubs have donated to Veritas House’s Christmas Appeal, making possible the purchase of almost 70 Christmas hampers, each filled to the brim with $110 worth of groceries, to be delivered to young people transitioning from homelessness or Out of Home Care into independent living and to vulnerable families across the Central West. 

“For most of the young people who will receive these hampers, Christmas was looking like a fairly lean affair; with the costs of living already so high, they certainly would not be able to afford Christmas treats like pudding and presents,” said Narelle Stocks, Veritas House Acting CEO. “Thanks to the generosity of the OESC and Bathurst RSL, we’re able to gift not only some essential items and fresh fruit and vegetables, but some special Christmas surprises too, to brighten their festive season considerably.” 

“Assisting to prepare the hampers will also be a lot of fun for our staff and our case workers are looking forward to the opportunity to deliver them to each of our clients and to see the smiles on their faces,” said Narelle.  “That’s what Christmas is all about and the generosity the Clubs have shown to Veritas, helping to bring smiles to the faces of local people doing it tough at this time of year, should be applauded.” 

Veritas has also been generously supported by VERTO, Big W Bathurst, 2BS/B-Rock, and Raine & Horne Bathurst and Central West residents through the donation of more than 200 gifts for young people who placed a wish on the Veritas House Christmas Wishing Trees. 

Veritas House is a not-for-profit organisation that was established in the Central West over 40 years ago and has grown to become one of the largest providers of foster care, youth homelessness and family support services in the region, supporting more than 900 children, young people and families each year.  

Christmas wishes for more than 220 local children and young people have been placed on Christmas trees at Veritas House offices in Bathurst and Orange, and the local charity is calling on the community to help make this Christmas brighter for these special young people. 

For the sixth year Veritas has again set up Christmas Wishing Trees in their offices at 98 Keppel Street and 96 Bentinck Street, Bathurst, as well as 29 Sale Street, Orange. Veritas House is calling on local residents to embrace the spirit of giving and purchase a gift for a child or young person who is either in Out-of-Home Care, experienced homelessness, or unlikely to receive a gift this year due to hardship.  

“Each year we are overwhelmed by the generosity of the Bathurst and Orange communities in supporting our Christmas Appeal and we are hopeful the community will rally again to help us grant all the wishes on our trees,” said Veritas House Business Development Manager, Narelle Stocks.  

“In previous years we’ve had parents bring their children in to select a tag and purchase a gift, so they could learn the importance of giving gifts, not simply receiving. We’ve also had businesses in the region replace their office Kris Kringle with buying gifts for our clients, which was a huge contribution towards filling our tree and providing gifts to all of the children in our care,” said Narelle. 

There are several ways the community can contribute; the most popular being to visit a Veritas House office to collect a gift tag with the wish list of a child from the Christmas tree, and then return it by Wednesday 7th December with the preferably unwrapped gift. Alternatively, supporters can purchase a gift card for a local teenager or make a tax-deductible donation to contribute towards the purchase of a gift for a child via the Veritas House website: www.veritashouse.org.au/events/christmas. 

In addition to the trees at Veritas House, Bathurst businesses Moodie’s Pharmacy in Howick Street and Anytime Fitness in George Street will once again have Veritas tags on their Christmas trees for customers to collect. 

Over the past two years, the local service has been unable to hold their annual Christmas Party due to Covid but is looking forward to again seeing Santa distribute many of the gifts to local children, ranging in age from newborns to 18, who are living in Foster Care. 

“Children and young people enter into foster care for a myriad of reasons, but generally they have experienced a degree of trauma, neglect and abuse that required intervention and removal for their own safety and well-being,” explained Narelle.  

“Veritas House Foster Carers in Bathurst and Orange provide a secure, safe and supportive home environment to these children and young people, but there is no doubt that Christmas can still be a tough time, so our Christmas Appeal is an opportunity for local residents to bring some joy into the lives of these special children.” 

Veritas House is a not-for-profit organisation that was established in the Central West over 40 years ago and has grown to become one of the largest providers of foster care, youth homelessness and family support services in the region, supporting more than 900 children, young people and families each year.  

Local Foster Carer, Maureen Wilkins was today announced the recipient of the Deb Elsley Memorial Award by Veritas House as part of their Foster Care Week celebrations.  

The award acknowledges the significant contribution that Maureen has made as a Foster Carer for the past 14 years, and in providing a safe and supportive home environment for the past nine years to two young siblings who she refers to as her own and who she has assisted alongside her biological child to grow and develop in a happy and healthy way. 

According to House Permanency Support Program Operations Manager, Toneya Carr-Smith, Maureen’s advocacy for equal opportunities for all children, including children with disabilities, and her advice to other local foster carers on navigating the disability sector has positively impacted the broader carer network.  

“Maureen is an exceptional carer who is actively involved in regularly connecting her foster children with their birth parents and paternal grandparents and is raising all of her children to be their best versions of themselves,” said Toneya.  

“While working at Veritas it has been my privilege to get to know many carers and there is no question that Maureen embodies the Veritas values of collaboration, authenticity and relationships, and is thoroughly deserving of this award.” 

The Award was presented at one of two Veritas House Foster Care Week Awards ceremonies held in Bathurst and Orange, and which also saw nine Foster Carers presented with 5, 10, 15 and 20 year service awards acknowledging their dedication and contribution to children and young people. The Foster Care Week ceremonies coincide with the launch of the biggest advertising campaign ever conducted by Veritas House urging residents to consider becoming Foster Carers, featuring advertising on buses, in shopping centres and on billboards across the region. 

Anyone considering becoming a foster carer must be over 18, an Australian citizen or permanent resident, in good health and without a criminal record. Carers can be single, married, in a de-facto or in a same sex relationship.   

For more information on becoming a Foster Carer with Veritas House, call 6332 3882 or visit www.veritashouse.org.au. 

Next week is Foster Care Week and Veritas House will celebrate with a range of activities recognising the significant contribution local Foster Carers make to the lives of vulnerable children and young people and to encourage local residents to consider becoming a Carer.  

 A highlight will include the announcement of the ‘Deb Elsley Memorial Award’, recognising one exceptional Carer who displays the Veritas House organisational values of relationships, collaboration, compassion and authenticity. It will also see nine carers receiving service awards for achieving 5, 10, 15 and 20 year milestones.  

According to Veritas House Permanency Support Program Operations Manager, Toneya Carr-Smith, the awards are designed to acknowledge the significant contribution local Foster Carers make in providing a safe and supportive home environment for children in Out of Home Care.  

“Our Foster Carers play a critical role in assisting children and young people in their care to grow and develop in a happy and heathy way and we are excited about the opportunity to honour and celebrate the contribution they make to our region,” said Toneya.  

Almost 80 households in the Central West are authorised Foster Carers with Veritas House, providing positive family environments for over 90 children and young people. However, Veritas is in need of more Foster Carers and will be launching an advertising campaign to coincide with Foster Care Week designed to encourage local residents to consider becoming carers.  

“We will have advertising on buses, in shopping centres and on billboards across the region and hope our Foster Care Week activities celebrate the contribution our Carers make to the lives of children and young people in our community and are also the first step towards becoming a Carer for other people in our community,” said Toneya.  

Anyone considering becoming a foster carer must be over 18, an Australian citizen or permanent resident, in good health and without a criminal record. Carers can be single, married, in a de-facto or in a same sex relationship.   

For more information on becoming a Foster Carer with Veritas House, call 6332 3882 or visit www.veritashouse.org.au. 

Following more than three years of fundraising, local youth service Veritas House has purchased a two-bedroom flat which will be used to support local young people transitioning from homelessness to living independently. 

Veritas House launched its fundraising appeal in December 2018 in response to a desperate shortage of affordable properties available to support vulnerable young people in the Orange region. Despite rising property prices and fires, floods and Covid impacting fundraising efforts during this time, strong community support has helped raise more than $280,000 to enable the property purchase. 

According to Veritas House CEO, Jody Pearce, while a further $40,000 is still needed to own the property outright, the critical need meant that Veritas could not delay purchasing a suitable property. 

“This is an incredibly exciting milestone for Veritas House and could not have been possible without the overwhelming support of businesses, individuals and community groups who have supported our fundraising appeal over the past three years,” said Jody.  ” 

Veritas House reports that an average of 50 young people access crisis accommodation at their youth refuge in Orange each year, many of whom are unable to return safely to their homes. For these young people, it can be difficult to secure a lease in the private rental market with no prior rental history and limited finances.  

The newly purchased property will be leased for six to nine months to young people transitioning into independence, with case workers providing support to obtain furniture, secure ongoing income, and learn budget and tenancy management skills. At the end of their lease, Veritas will provide a reference, and advocate and support the young people in securing long-term accommodation.   

“The fundraising appeal kicked off in late 2018 when the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation committed $60,000 towards the renovation of a property,” said Jody.  

“Now that we have raised sufficient funds to make a purchase, the Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation’s grant will be used over the next few months to paint, re-carpet, install energy-efficient lighting and heating, and furnish the flat to make it a comfortable home for young people for years to come. 

“The Newcastle Permanent Charitable Foundation grant is one of the largest that Veritas House has ever received, and we are so grateful that they recognised the value of this community project right from the start. We can now honour their commitment by making the property one that young people will be proud to maintain and call home.”  

Tax deductible donations to the Veritas House Transitional Housing Appeal can be made at: https://veritashouse.org.au/donate/transitional-youth-housing-appeal/. 

Local homelessness services Wattle Tree House, Veritas House and Housing Plus will host a free BBQ in Kings Parade on Friday, August 5 from 12noon as part of a number of activities taking place throughout the week to mark Homelessness Week. 

The event is designed as an opportunity for vulnerable residents to receive a free meal and learn about the services that are available, and for the wider community to have a conversation with agencies about what can be done locally to address homelessness. 

According to Wattle Tree House Client Service Officer, Sam Galliotas homelessness is not just a big city issue, with ABS data estimating that more than 10,000 people are experiencing homelessness in regional and rural NSW. 

“With housing prices skyrocketing and a lack of affordable rental homes, vulnerable people of all ages in communities like Bathurst are at increasing risk of homelessness,” said Sam. “Most are hidden from view through couch surfing and sleeping in cars, so it is easy to assume it doesn’t exist in a town like Bathurst, but that is not the case,” she explained. 

In addition to displays by the homelessness services, information packs will also be available from the Bathurst Library who have launched their ‘No Fixed Address Membership’ initiative during Homelessness Week, which includes the availability of library memberships for people who have no fixed address so they can still borrow resources and use the library facilities. 

Sam believes Homelessness Week is the chance for local residents to become aware of how to support a vulnerable person who may be at risk of homelessness.  

“We’re encouraging Bathurst residents to make themselves aware of local services like Wattle Tree House, Veritas House, Housing Plus and the Bathurst Library, so that any vulnerable person experiencing or at risk of homelessness can be connected to the services and supports they need. Our BBQ lunch will be a great opportunity to get this information and to have a conversation about what can be done to address the issue,” she said. 

Other local events and activities taking place throughout Homelessness Week include an information display at the Armada shopping centre, a free BBQ at Oberon and Harvest Café & Store will be selling cupcakes and raffle tickets all week as well as donating $1 from every hot drink sold this Friday towards StreetSmart Australia, a national charity that has supported Veritas House and other local homelessness services over recent years. 

The Homelessness Week BBQ has been supported by a range of organisations including Devro, Bernardi’s IGA, Bathurst Real Estate, Bunnings Bathurst, HopeCare, PFD Food Services, Country Fruit, Coles Bathurst, Barkers Butchery Oberon, Oberon Newsagency, Pick of The Bunch Oberon, Oberon Bakehouse, Lifeline, Mary McKillop, Bathurst Uniting Support Services, Mawhoods IGA Oberon and Swirl & Dip.