Minister launches our new southern base in SA

Mission Australia’s new southern headquarters in Old Reynella, SA, was officially launched on Wednesday by the Minister for Youth, Minister for Volunteers and the Minister Assisting the Premier in Social Inclusion, Grace Portolesi, and the City of Onkaparinga Mayor, Lorraine Rosenberg.

Mission Australia State Director Phillip Leslie said the move to 165 Old South Road was an extremely positive one, offering opportunities to work with local communities in the “often-forgotten” corners of the state’s south.

Mission Australia has provided services to young people, families and communities in the southern region since 1999. The move will allow an improvement of existing services and the introduction of some new, locally relevant, initiatives.

Among the services and programs currently offered -- and soon to be augmented by other locally relevant initiatives -- are Reconnect, which supports young people at risk of homelessness; the Southern Outreach Team, who assist young people to stay in school and with drug, alcohol and mental health issues; and a Parent Education Program, supporting young mothers and fathers to overcome parenting challenges.

“With a cluster of community and support services based in the Noarlunga area, Mission Australia sees this move as an important contribution to making services accessible across the entire southern region,” Mr Leslie said.

“Given Mission Australia’s recent Youth Survey findings -- where young people highlighted stress and family conflict as a major concern -- it is important to Mission Australia that these services remain available and increase in this rapidly expanding region.

“We have begun the process of engaging the community in conversation about the needs, capacity and opportunities in the region in order to identify the gaps in services.

“Mission Australia intends to increase its presence all the way down to Victor Harbor and touch upon the significant and currently unmet needs of more isolated communities.”