Catholic Social Services Victoria warmly welcomes its newest members - JoCare in Malvern, Joseph's Corner Inc in Melbourne's west and House of Welcome Ballarat. We look forward to working with the staff and volunteers of these organisations who are working to serve some of our most vulnerable community members.

The proportion of people living below the relative poverty line in Australia (50 per cent of the median income) increased in 2017, from 9.6 per cent to 10.4 per cent. Those in the lowest income groups are more likely to be persistently struggling to make ends meet and afford a decent living standard, and require assistance to try and break their cycle of disadvantage, particularly single parent families. These are findings from the latest Household, Income and Labour Dynamics in Australia (HILDA) Survey by the University of Melbourne, which surveys over 20,000 Australians each year. The Living in Australia report provides a snapshot of the survey findings; describing how life in Australia is changing over time.

Our July 2019 update highlights the many ways in which our Catholic parishes are engaging in practical ways to overcome homelessness, with a series of practical forums having taken place already, and more scheduled in coming months.They're also actively engaged in assisting refugees and asylum seekers and in deepening their understanding of domestic violence and how to prevent it. We hope our parish communities will be inspired by the news featured in this July update, and that they'll join us in the upcoming events. Download update here.