Coronavirus

Our accommodation, in home, outreach, meals and homelessness services are essential services. With appropriate spatial distancing, PPE and other necessary service modifications, our focus is to continue to safely provide critical services as far as practicable, because our clients will be the most impacted by the health and economic impacts of the coronavirus. They include older people, people on low incomes, people with a disability and those without a home.

Service modifications have been implemented in different ways across service types and aim to maintain the health and wellbeing of staff and clients.

We will be focusing on critical support to make sure our clients have their needs met and are as prepared as possible in this changing environment.

Sacred Heart Mission Covid 19 vaccinations are no longer required for Op Shop volunteers, all other programs volunteers still require 3 vaccinations.

This means that staff, volunteers, and contractors within our organisation aged 18 years and order must have had at least 3 vaccinations against COVID-19, or have a medical or special exemption, in order to work at Sacred Heart Mission programs and services excluding our op shops. This decision aligns with the Victorian Government’s Public Health Orders requiring all residential aged care workers and authorised workers to be vaccinated against COVID-19, and the Mission has taken a policy position to extend this to staff, volunteers, and contractors in all volunteer programs, with the exception of our Op Shops.

We take our responsibility to protect the health of our vulnerable clients, customers, the communities we serve and our staff and volunteers seriously, and this policy signals our contribution as a community services leader to the overall effort to address COVID-19.

Unfortunately, our showers and laundry service at 87 Grey Street and at the Women’s House are closed.

Our Dining Hall remains closed for sit-down dining until further notice. In the meantime, we’ll be offering one, free take-away meal a day that combines breakfast and lunch to our Dining Hall clients. The meals will be served over three hours, from 10am until 1pm, outside the front gate of our Dining Hall (87 Grey St, St Kilda).

We currently don’t offer meals at the Women’s House; all Women’s House clients are welcome to pick up a free meal from outside our front gate of our Dining Hall during those times.

Unfortunately, no. The laundries at 87 Grey St, St Kilda and at the Women’s House will be closed until further notice.

Orange Sky provides a mobile washing service. Check their website for up-to-date information.

Our Pathways Workers are available everyday from 10am to 1pm to provide advocacy, referral and support. To talk to us, drop by at 87 Grey Street, St Kilda 3182. Everyone is welcome!

If you are permitted to work or visit a Sacred Heart Mission site you may need to sign in using a QR code when you come in and leave. This does not include clients. We’re required to collect logs of all workers, subcontractors, volunteers and clients attending the work premises for 15 minutes or longer, according to the COVID-Safe Plan and work permits. We may need you to log your check-in and check-out times and areas visited.

Face masks may need to be worn indoors and outdoors in accordance with Victoria’s current Covid-19 restrictions.

Yes, we have a Covid Safe Plan outlining how we’re providing a safe work environment for our staff, clients and volunteers and minimises the chances of them contracting coronavirus on our site. Our staff and volunteers have also signed a Covid Safe Code of Conduct, ensuring they understand their responsibilities in the workplace.

We have postponed our Health and Wellbeing activities until further notice. One of our Social Workers is available to provide individual support and outreach via phone.

We have moved services such as our physiotherapy, pain clinic and dietetics services onto an eHealth platform with other services being put on hold at this time.

The Women’s House continues to provide crisis and housing support from 8:30am to 11am Monday to Friday. Open-house access, showers, laundry and the sleep room continue to be closed.

We offer clients from the Women’s House takeaway meals from outside the front gate of our Dining Hall on 87 Grey Street.

Our aged care residents have received the COVID-19 vaccine and booster.

Sacred Heart Mission, along with our disability, housing and homelessness partners are advocating for appropriate and tailored responses for all vulnerable people in the community to ensure access to the COVID-19 vaccines.

The COVID-19 vaccine is free, and we are highly recommending everyone receive it to protect the community from the virus. More information about the vaccine can be found on the Department of Health and Human Services vaccine website.

Our Dining Hall remains closed for sit-down dining until further notice. This is in keeping with most homelessness meals services throughout Melbourne and in line with Victorian COVID safe requirements. It offers the safest possible service to our community. You can find further information about our temporary Dining Hall closure here.

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