The Salvation Army Victoria State Budget Submission 2013-14

The Salvation Army Victoria has released its Victoria State Budget Submission for the 2013-14 financial year. The submission highlights the Salvos’ experience at the frontline of Victoria’s social and community services with a strong emphasis on the plight of the most vulnerable.

Melbourne Social Program Secretary Captain Jason Davies-Kildea said, “In any tough economic climate, it’s often those members of our communities who are already suffering from disadvantage that are likely to be the hardest hit and for this reason it is important to make sure that their voices are heard.”

Whilst The Salvation Army has some specific budget requests, including sustaining tenancy support and family housing programs, the overall emphasis of the submission is to ensure that those individuals and families that might otherwise slip through the cracks of mainstream systems don’t end up further entrenched in disadvantage.

The submission focusses on six key areas that are consistent features in the hundreds of thousands of requests for help that the Salvos get every year:

• Getting housed and staying housed
• Dealing with addictions
• Reducing the criminalising effects of the justice system
• Recovering from violence
• Living with a mental illness
• Getting back into education and training

According to Captain Davies-Kildea, “We know that managing tight budgets is a massive challenge for everyone – from struggling families to big governments. When you can’t do everything you’d like to do, it’s even more vital that the right priorities are in focus.”

“Sometimes the areas that we try to save money on in the short term have much greater longer term consequences – both financially and socially”, said Captain Davies-Kildea. “Effective and early interventions for people in crises can save much more expensive costs further down the track in systems like our hospitals, police and prisons.

“Making investments into programs that proactively address people’s needs in a holistic way is imperative to getting more value out of every dollar spent on social services. We need systems and policies that recognise the connections between various issues in people’s lives like education and training; mental health; homelessness and addiction. It is important that these frameworks are able to facilitate creative, integrated solutions in a timely manner.”

The submission makes several recommendations about programs that The Salvation Army believes work and that provide good value for money. “If we invest in these types of programs now, not only do we save money in the future, but we’ve helped move toward a more fair and just society for everyone,” Captain Davies-Kildea said.

Download the Submission
For more information regarding The Salvation Army Victoria State Budget Submission 2013-14 please contact:
Captain Jason Davies-Kildea
Ph: (03) 9353 5200
Mobile: 0418 539 235

Copies of The Salvation Army Victoria State Budget Submission 2013-14 are available upon request.