It’s been said before but I’ll say it again – 2020 was a year like no other!

We faced some of the most challenging times that I’ve experienced in my role as CEO at Hobart City Mission. I would like to thank you for your support through the COVID-19 crisis. Your generosity and kindness meant that we were able to support people at a time of great need.

In March 2020, we desperately needed food for our Emergency Relief program. With restrictions on buying limits from major supermarket chains, we were unable to order the large quantities of food needed to meet client demand. We put the call out to the community for food donations and the response from you was overwhelming. We thank you for being there for those families that would otherwise have gone without food over the winter months.

Despite all the challenges of 2020, with your support some outstanding outcomes were achieved.

The Safe Space program provides shelter and safety for people sleeping rough in Hobart. The program was made possible only through the support of our generous donors, who raised two-thirds of the cost of the 6-month pilot program. We can proudly announce, that in 2020, the State Government committed to fund the program until June 2022, and expanded the program to locations in Launceston and Burnie. Thank you for recognising the need and importance of Safe Space, and helping to raise the funds to kickstart this vital service.

We also launched the Mountain View program in 2020, which provides the next steps for clients on the Housing Tasmania priority waitlist. You can read more about the Mountain View program here. 

In November, we launched one of the biggest Op Shops in Tasmania, and again, we could not have done this without fantastic community support and a passionate team of volunteers. We thank you for your continued donations of second-hand items to City Mission Op Shops. These provide affordable clothing options for those doing it tough, as well as keeping quality items out of landfill.

If there is one thing that the COVID-19 crisis has taught us, it is the power of community. It is astonishing to see what we can achieve when we all come together to support one another.

It is your dedication, your passion, and your commitment to those experiencing hardship that makes Tasmania a special place.  I thank you, on behalf of our clients, and from all of us here at Hobart City Mission. You are changing lives every day through your compassion and kindness.

Best Wishes for the New Year,

John Stubley