Sheltering Others, Shaping Oneself: Liza Barlow’s Journey in Service
Liza Barlow serves as Manager of Homelessness and Housing Services in the St. George and Sutherland areas for the St Vincent de Paul Society NSW. April 2025 marked Liza’s 15-year milestone with Vinnies – a remarkable achievement, especially in the community services sector, where the rate of burnout is high and continued vicarious trauma often results in a fatigued sense of compassion.
To acknowledge this milestone, we caught up with Liza and reflected on her journey. Still brimming with zeal and passion for her work, Liza was keen to share her experience and her learnings. We discussed climate shifts in the sector, as well as the factors that have contributed to Liza’s sustained dedication to the uniquely complex and challenging work that is homelessness.
“Vinnies will foster and support you to move forward and build your career.”
“My manager was my greatest supporter and advocate. She saw in me things that I did not see. She gave me psychological safety to grow and make mistakes and always encouraged me to challenge myself.”
“It’s nice to see trauma-informed principles reflected in the actual design and layout of buildings. ‘Core and cluster’* models are a great example. They honour the experiences that clients often come in with and directly promote their dignity and recovery.”