MOSS is a
not-for-profit
housing
support service

I am passionate about working within this sector as I believe that everyone should have access to support and a home that is safe, secure and affordable. I really enjoy the work that I undertake at MOSS as every day is different and rewarding. To me, a healthy community is connected, supportive and accessible.

I have witnessed the issues people face during homelessness, loneliness, diversity, and financial hardship throughout my career. I am passionate about empowering our most disadvantaged, culturally diverse and vulnerable people within the local community. I understand the complex issues of older people living independently and the support they require to remain active and socially connected within the community. To me, a healthy community is characterised by connection, inclusion and acceptance.

MOSS has a great name in the sector for its client focused approach and flexibility in service delivery. Longevity of staff speaks to its culture and have watched MOSS grow and expand over the years with programs and funding. Each and every staff member, past and present have added to the richness of MOSS culture and history. To me, a healthy community is engaging, relatable and accessible.

I have been working with MOSS since 2014 across the agency and believe that the programs/services delivered in supporting people in the community to make a difference in their daily living and creating a safer place is unique in that it creates programs specifically designed to the unique programs we deliver. To me, a healthy community is one that values reaching out, listening and supporting.

During my time at MOSS I have led several programs, including our Crisis Response, Hume Transitional Outreach, Active Connections, NDIS Support Coordination and Connections programs. I want to live in a society that values everyone and where people with limited resources can still enjoy quality of life. To me, a healthy community is formed by equality, respect and compassion.

I value that MOSS has always been a leader in supporting children who have experienced homelessness, including originating the Homeless Children’s Specialist Support Service model. All children should have access to safe and stable housing to enable them to lead healthy and fulfilling lives. To me, a healthy community is inclusive, equitable and supported.

MOSS has always been committed to ensuring children accessing the service is provided with an individual response to ensure their rights are upheld. MOSS has continued to lead best practice in working with children. Working alongside my colleagues and management at MOSS who have the same passion and commitment as myself makes coming to work enjoyable. To me, a healthy community is adequate, equitable and accessible.

Since the 90s, I’ve worked in a range of roles, from youth homelessness, refugee minors and MACNI. The program I work with provides team case management support to people who are homeless or at risk of experiencing homelessness. I support the Hume team to provide quality support to vulnerable people. To me, a healthy community is accessible, inclusive and supportive.

After an early career in finance, I moved into the Homeless sector almost 23 years ago and found my true passion. I believe that every person deserves safe affordable accommodation. MOSS as an organisation, team and individually as workers strive to ensure all consumers needs are met in finding a safe home. I believe in equality and social justice for all and trust that we as a community should assist those who may have stumbled to find sure footing again. To me, a healthy community is a diverse community with diverse housing.

I oversee a number of programs at our Northcote, Brunswick and Banyule sites. My career in the Housing and Homelessness sector began in the late ’80s in Northcote, but I had been working in the west since the mid ’90s.  Coming back to where I started, and now live, has been very exciting. It’s added a layer of appreciation of the impact we are having on the local community, with a more nuanced understanding of some of the gaps and emerging needs.

A strong belief exists within the staff body that MOSS programs and services provide an unprecedented opportunity to improve the lives of those experiencing or likely to experience homelessness. I believe the importance of having a sustainable home, a safe environment provides the opportunity for equity allowing everyone to work to living their best life. To me, a healthy community is sustainable, connected and equitable.

The MOSS culture is based on directing energy to foster trusting connections with consumers and making a meaningful difference in the community. To build a thriving, fair and resilient society, we need to address the issue of sustainable affordable housing. Providing basic housing and access to programs that best meet the wellbeing needs of our most vulnerable is a right, not a privilege. We all have a role to play to make the difference. To me, a healthy community is educated, connected and accessible.

Phillip is the former CEO (and sometimes Chair) of Your Community Health and will bring to MOSS his immense experience in health administration and politics. Phillip has a background in primary care management and governance. He has served on numerous Boards in TAFE and within the health sector and was until recently a Commissioner of the Victorian Multi-cultural Commission (VMC), as well as being a Municipal Councillor in Northcote for nine years until 1994, with two terms as Mayor. Early in his career he worked as a Ministerial Adviser to then Federal Health Minister and Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe.

Lisa is the current Director of People & Culture at Kogan.com and will bring to MOSS  her leadership skills and people expertise gained in a range of commercial organisations across retail, utilities and wellness sectors, including Coles Group, Energy Australia, Chemist Warehouse and Swisse Wellness. She hopes to bring fresh eyes to the culture and people strategy of MOSS and to bring her commercial acumen and people skills to bear in framing our strategy. Lisa holds a Bachelor of Science, Bachelor of Arts and a Master of Applied Commerce (Human Resource Management) from the University of Melbourne and Melbourne Business School.

I have served on several Community Association Boards over the years, mainly in the arts field, and am a Director of Your Community Health Ltd and No FGM Australia Ltd. I am also a Justice of the Peace. I grew up in insecure, cold, damp, private-rental housing with no heating, bathroom or hot water. Then we moved into public housing. I have not forgotten my origins, and I have an abiding interest in social justice and adequate housing. To me, a healthy community is engaged, neighbourly and trusting.

I currently work with the Department of Education and Training after having spent time in the welfare sector facilitating programs and services for marginalised communities. With over 20 years in both public and private sectors, I’ve managed welfare programs as well as designed and implemented Community Services and other VET programs. My passion for empowering others led me to education where I continue to work closely with schools and agencies in supporting disengaged young people.

My career experience is primarily public service management. Getting to know more about specific issues of Homelessness has been quite an eye-opener for me. MOSS doesn’t see problems so much as people who need help across a very broad spectrum of housing, health and social well-being. It is quite a privilege to be associated with MOSS and I look forward to continuing my own contribution to the organisation. To me, a healthy community is stable, safe and socially just.

I believe MOSS is unique for the quality of the people who work there and the level of their commitment to their profession. It’s about the difference they make to people’s lives and their willingness to go the extra mile to get quality outcomes. Housing is a basic human right and in a rich first world country like Australia, there is no reason that we should not be supplying resources to support the most vulnerable in our society. To me, a healthy community is inclusive, diverse and supportive.

I have worked in the housing and homelessness sector for 20 years, notably with the former Homeground Services and North East Housing Services in the provision of frontline crisis housing services. I was a Board member of the state peak body for social housing Community Housing Federation of Victoria (CHFV) for two years. I am currently employed as the CEO of Inner East Social Housing Group Ltd which is a Registered Housing Provider.

I think MOSS is special and unique as it stands for social equity towards community members who experience homelessness. As a migrant from El Salvador and hearing stories about social justice, basic needs like shelter are a human right that those in a comfortable position ought to ensure establish for those in disadvantaged positions. To me, a healthy community is connected, full of respect and constantly growing.

Having grown up in a public housing estate I have witnessed the long term impacts on health and wellbeing caused from living within a marginalised community.I admire MOSS for it’s willingness to break away from tradition and look outside the box to seek better and more effective ways to cater for clients needs. To me, a healthy community is one that has safety, support and opportunity.