On 1 July 1997, three welfare providers became one. The result was Anglicare Victoria (AV), which turns 25 in 2022.
The merger brought the expertise of three long-running and highly experienced Anglican welfare agencies together under a single organisation:
- The Mission to the Streets and Lanes of Melbourne (established 1886)
- The Mission of St James and St John (1919)
- St John’s Home for Boys and Girls (1921)
The leaders of these agencies recognised the changing expectations of the community and government – and indeed the Anglican Church itself – and came together to provide the most effective care possible for vulnerable children, young people and families. A single, larger agency could speak with one voice to government on social justice and welfare issues, as well as competing effectively for government funding to provide expanded services in an increasingly challenging environment. And so the three organisations amalgamated to form a new agency which was enshrined in Victorian legislation.
More than 135 years after the first Anglican Mission was established in Melbourne, AV continues that long-established tradition of advocating strongly on behalf of the vulnerable and disadvantaged.
“I hope people will observe Anglicare Victoria in its 25th year and see that our ability to seek change on behalf of our vulnerable members of the community is a very important part of our mission.”
A quarter of a century since it was created, AV employs three times as many people and is able to provide critical support to regional communities in distant corners of the state. We help more than 10 times as many people struggling with family violence, have grown to be the largest provider of financial counselling and have a thriving culture of innovation. Yet one thing has not changed: It is an organisation of quiet achievers, who show their character most clearly in times of the greatest need.
