A Uniting Housing Board member and key founder in establishing UnitingCare Ballarat has been awarded an Order of Australia medal on Australia Day.

David Pratt was selected for the lifetime service honour for his commitment to helping people who struggle to make ends meet easier.

The 79 year-old says he’s passionate about securing housing for the most vulnerable people living in Ballarat.

Mr Pratt said there is still so much that needs to be done to help people who find themselves without anywhere to call home.

“There’s a critical shortage of available and decent housing for people on lower incomes,” he said.

“It’s not necessarily all pensioners…it is people across the whole spectrum, who are in situations where either, one, they can’t get affordable, reasonable housing for their families, or, in many cases, don’t have permanent accommodation.”

David’s dedication to serve his local community can be traced back to the days when he was a Circuit Steward at Wesley Methodist Church in Ballarat. That’s when the idea of establishing a Lifeline service in Ballarat was first proposed. David was involved in the initial planning in 1969 and served on the Committee of Management of Lifeline until 2001, when Lifeline and the Outreach Centre merged to form UnitingCare Ballarat.

“I’ve had a lifetime interest in community affairs,” he said.

He continued serving the UnitingCare Ballarat Board as Deputy Chairperson, two years as Chairperson and as an integral member of the Finance Committee until 2011. As a board member, David has brought a wealth of experience in the world of business, a thorough understanding of the workings of the Uniting Church and a deep commitment to the concept of joining of ‘word and deed’ for over 42 years. Many programs and facets of UnitingCare Ballarat has been shaped by his wisdom.

Mr Pratt said the Order of Australia Medal came as a surprise but laughed and said he was experienced enough to deal with the bewilderment.

“If you hang around long enough you never know what might happen,” he said.

THE Uniting Church has appointed business management consultancy firm PPB to audit all social housing properties owned, leased or managed by the Uniting Church.  The audit will inform a detailed business case evaluating options to inform the Church’s future social housing strategy.

This appointment comes after UnitingCare agencies were asked last year to provide additional information on the church’s social housing properties.

PPB are tasked with reviewing the Church’s social housing real estate strategy, evaluating the environmental and regulatory guidelines, engaging regulators, exploring options around ownership and reducing any constraints on the properties.

Also as part of the audit, PPB will develop a detailed business case regarding the use of property for future social housing. In addition, a communications strategy is being developed to inform all parts of the Church about social housing..

So far the social housing strategy project has identified a total of 347 Uniting Church properties with 1,476 social housing tenancies currently in use.

The figures provided a more detailed analysis of how many properties are affiliated with the Church however it is expected that there are more properties that will be added to the list.

The list covers a range of below-market-rent social housing, including independent living units. Over half of the properties are located in the Western region, 10% in the Eastern region and 15% in Tasmania which shows the critical importance of Uniting Housing and a number of agencies. These include UnitingCare Ballarat, Wimmera UnitingCare, UnitingCare Harrison, Uniting AgeWell and Heatherlie Homes who support current Uniting Church social housing and tenants. Other areas have less social housing available.

The audit and strategy project work will start this month and is expected to take between three and six months to complete.

The Uniting Church Social Housing Project Control Group will be updated on progress of two new agency-based social housing projects that are under development.

UNITINGCARE agencies are invited to this year’s annual multi-faith Australasian Conference which reflects a growing interest in issues of faith and meaning in the lived experience of disability.

The three day conference runs from August 21-23 and is already attracting a lot of interest from a number of organisations including the Jewish Christian Muslim Association (JCMA) and the Faith Communities Council of Victoria (FCCV).

Among the themes explored will be ethics, care, inclusion in faith communities, friendship, discrimination, love, justice and liberation.

Two esteemed speakers Professor Hans Reinders and Reverend Bill Gaventa are keynoters at the conference.

Rev Gaventa is a Director of the Summer Institute of Theology and Disability and President-elect of the American Association on Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (AAIDD) while Professor Reinders is Chair of Ethics at VU University in Holland and editor of the journal Religion and Disability.

There is also an Australian line up of presenters including Prof David Tacey, an interdisciplinary scholar, who is widely published for his knowledge of Australian spirituality and Dr Lorna Hallahan who will offer her perspective on the place of spirituality in particular, the new National Disability Insurance Scheme (NDIS) which is being rolled out across Australia in July.

In Australia an increasing number of people are actively exploring the intersection of disability and spirituality. The conference will explore current perspectives across the faith spectrum with opportunities for discussion and formation of new networks. It’ll appeal to people who live with disabilities, families and carers, academics, practitioners, volunteers and staff.

A feature of the conference will be a tribute to the late Reverend Dr Christopher Newell. Christopher was a visionary social activist and disability advocate widely published across fields including ethics, telecommunications, pastoral care and spirituality.

There will also be an exhibition of artworks that reflect people’s experience of disability and spirituality. For more information go to http://exclusionandembrace.melbourne/