Our voice
At the heart of everything we do, advocacy on behalf of the people we help is key. It is not separate from our service, it is how we ensure that what we see and hear leads to change.
The St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria works to ensure that people experiencing disadvantage are heard by those who make decisions.
Our members, volunteers and employees serve people every day and, through that work, we see both the immediate need and the broader issues that drive it.
“The strongest hand of true friendship is charity; the exercise of charity is the practice of good works.”
The Society is concerned, not only with alleviating immediate hardship, but with identifying and addressing the structures that cause it. This is a core part of our mission and is grounded in The Rule, that charity must lead us to justice.
Our advocacy is shaped by what we witness through our service and strengthened by the experience of our members, volunteers, staff and the people we support. It is increasingly focused, evidence-informed and directed toward practical outcomes.
Through advocacy, the Society affirms the dignity of each person and contributes to building a more just society, where the conditions that lead to poverty and homelessness are reduced, and where people have a genuine opportunity to participate and thrive.
Advocacy Plan launched
St Vincent de Paul Society Victoria launched it's Strategic Advocacy Plan 2026–2030 at Parliament House on 31 March 2026.
The Advocacy Plan is built on a clear conviction: homelessness and poverty in Victoria are preventable and solvable.
By strengthening housing security and investing in social capital, we can build a future where everyone has a place to call home and a community to belong to.
“The question agitating the world today is … a social question. It is the struggle between those who have nothing and those who have too much, it is a clash between wealth and poverty, which is shaking the ground at our feet.”