Brisbane, Australia
Churches across Queensland have received almost $A500,000 in funding as part of a program aimed at reducing disadvantage and supporting vulnerable people.
The $A10,000 to $A20,000 grants – made by Carinity, a non-profit outreach of Queensland Baptists under its Collaborative Community Projects program – are being used to fund 10 existing and eight new projects ranging from providing healthy restorative experiences for children in the southern Sunshine Coast experiencing trauma to offering free non-perishable food to people in Mudgeeraba on the Gold Coast.
Bruce Riddel, project lead for Annerley Baptist Church’s Community Connection and Belonging Project, and Rev Peter Richards, the church’s senior pastor. The church supports between 60 and 70 homeless and socially isolated people each week. PICTURE: Courtesy of Carinity.
One recipient of the program was Annerley Baptist Church in Brisbane. It provides food and a chance to belong every Monday to the homeless and socially isolated.
The feeding initiative, which was launched about two-and-a-half years ago, serves about 70 people a week, having grown from 20. Some 20 volunteers are involved in preparing and serving the meal.
Bruce Riddel, project lead for the church’s Community Connection and Belonging Project, said the support from Carinity has been “significant”.
”It has meant that we have certainty for the funding of the lunch ensuring it continues.”
He said the lunch was open to “all members of the community not just those in housing stress”.
“This creates a sense of community and belonging to others in the surrounding suburbs. As well as providing a good meal it provides an opportunity for community members to share their story as we seek to journey with them.”
The proportion of Queenslanders who are homeless has increased in recent years driven in part by the housing affordability crisis and rising inflation. They have become very significant contributors to homelessness. About two per cent of Brisbane’s population are currently homeless, according to the Salvation Army.
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Now in its second year, Carinity’s Collaborative Community Projects program grants are decided by a committee composed of representatives of Carinity and Queensland Baptists.
Brett Maunder, marketing and communications manager at Carinity, said churches’ interactions with the community are critical in assessing where the grants end up.
“A key element in the approval process is demonstrating that churches have reached outside their own congregation and liaised with their community in identifying the need they wish to address,” he said.
As well as providing funding, the program also provides churches with access to the organisation’s staff and their expertise in helping young people.
Prior to the launch of the Collaborative Community Projects program, Carinity had run an Innovation Grants program which, over 14 years, has supported 92 churches to deliver 137 community projects.
“This collaboration between Queensland Baptist churches and Carinity enables the churches to reach out to their communities, providing services to people in need in the name of Christ,” said Maunder.
Carinity has previously supported the establishment of crisis accommodation and other facilities for the homeless on the site. In 2019, Annerley Baptist Church received funding under the previous program to provide temporary housing accommodation to shelter the homeless and victims of domestic violence.
Carinity also provides a range of other services including retirement villages and chaplaincy support for people in aged care, schools, and prisons in Queensland. The organisation is also planning to expand its support for Queensland seniors.
