A lay Catholic charity (Vinnies) providing emergency housing, food, disaster relief, home visits and advocacy across Australian communities.
St Vincent de Paul Society NSW is the New South Wales arm of the St Vincent de Paul Society, a lay Catholic charitable organisation known in Australia as Vinnies. The Society assists people living in poverty or seeking help through locally delivered programs and services, and works to combat social injustice by advocating for people who are marginalised, disadvantaged or at risk of disadvantage. It assists anyone who seeks support, without judgement or prejudice, and does not discriminate on the basis of cultural, religious, political, gender or gender identity beliefs.
Its work spans emergency housing and homelessness support, disaster recovery assistance, home visits, food provision and advocacy. Help is delivered on a local level throughout communities across Australia. Nationally, the Society operates more than 200 programs and services.
The organisation is volunteer-driven, with over 45,000 members and volunteers across Australia giving their time, care and compassion. Its stated aspirations are to live the gospel message by serving Christ in the poor with love, respect, justice, hope and joy, and to bring about a more just and compassionate society. Membership is primarily Catholic.
