Victorian Department of Families, Fairness & Housing

The festive season is here, so it’s important to talk about something that matters: your mental health. 🧠✨ Holidays can be a whirlwind of emotions. You might feel excitement, pressure, or even a little out of sorts. Guess what? That’s normal. 💛 Check in with yourself and your loved ones. Prioritising self-care isn’t selfish; it’s smart. Do what you need to do: 😌 Find a quiet moment to recharge 📱 Chat with a friend 🔎 Seek extra support. Remember, reaching out for help shows strength, not weakness. Let’s make this season about lifting each other up, spreading kindness, and showing ourselves a little grace. 💪✨ This holiday season let’s focus on what truly matters - connection, compassion, and a whole lot of cheer. We’ve got this. 💕 👉Share this post with your networks.

Today on World AIDS Day, we recognise the strength, advocacy and resilience of people living with HIV, and everyone who has worked tirelessly to support them across Victoria. This year's theme, No One Gets Left Behind, reminds us of our shared responsibility to ensure equitable access to prevention, testing, treatment and care. World AIDS Day has been marked globally since 1988 and remains a vital moment to reflect on progress, honour those we have lost, and focus on the work still ahead. In Victoria, an estimated 11,272 people are living with HIV. While access to effective services continues to improve, stigma, racism and discrimination still create barriers. Ensuring no one is left behind means addressing these barriers so every person can get the support they need. This is essential to achieving our goal of zero new HIV transmissions by 2030. We also acknowledge the remarkable contribution of Thorne Harbour Health, formerly the Victorian AIDS Council. For more than 40 years, their community leadership and advocacy have helped shape a more inclusive and equitable HIV response in Victoria. Their ongoing collaboration with community, clinicians and government continues to ensure that no one is left behind. Today, we stand with people living with HIV and reaffirm our commitment to a future free from stigma, discrimination and new transmissions. Alfred Health, North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network (NWMPHN), The Peter Doherty Institute for Infection and Immunity, Thorne Harbour Health, Living Positive Victoria - LPV, Health Equity Matters

You can now participate in the Forum for Truth and Recognition. The Forum is a safe and respectful space where people can share their experiences of child sexual abuse in Victorian government schools and certain non-government schools prior to the year 2000. The experiences shared will contribute to an important public record and help Victoria build a stronger shared understanding of the lifelong impacts of child sexual abuse in schools so we can better prevent and respond to it now and into the future. This is a healing journey that starts with your truth. People can participate in the Forum until March 2026. To participate, contact 1800 967 933 (free call) or contact@truthandrecognition.vic.gov.au. If you need support, visit the Forum’s Support and wellbeing page to see a list of available services. To find out more, visit https://lnkd.in/g6pRrXs6.

Victoria has made history as the first state or territory in Australia to sign a Treaty with First Peoples.   The Statewide Treaty was signed by the Victorian Government and First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria yesterday in a ceremony at Government House. Afterwards, the Statewide Treaty Bill was given Royal Assent by the Governor of Victoria, Her Excellency Professor the Honourable Margaret Gardner AC. Royal Assent means the Statewide Treaty Bill becomes law, and the Bill becomes an Act of Parliament. The Statewide Treaty will commence on 12 December, at a ceremonial exchange between the government and First Peoples’ Assembly of Victoria at a public event in Fed Square.

The Orange Door Bacchus Marsh site at 52 Grant Street, is closed today, Wednesday 3 December. It will reopen Thursday 4 December. You can still get help at the Ballarat site at 21 Armstrong Street North or call 1800 219 819 Find an Orange Door site near you at: https://lnkd.in/gV-FJ9w2

Well done to the 2025 Victorian Volunteering Awards winners! 🏆 Volunteers help people, build communities and make Victoria a fairer and safer place for everyone. Volunteers are the heart of our state. Thank you for all that you do. We’re proud to work with Volunteering Victoria to celebrate you. 👉 See the winners: https://lnkd.in/gp_UWzsP #VicVolAwards2025

✨ NEXT WEEK: Tune into a lunchtime webinar next Wednesday, 3 December to find out more about the upcoming Women Deliver 2026 Conference. Register here: tinyurl.com/wd2026-update Gender Equity Victoria is excited to host this interactive session, which will provide information on how to get involved as well as updates from Women Deliver and the Victorian Office for Women. Get your questions ready as there will be a Q&A! Joining us at the webinar will be: 🔸 Zahra Al Hilaly - Program Advisor, Women Deliver 🔸 Sarah Young - A/Director, Office for Women, Victorian Department of Families, Fairness & Housing Women Deliver is one of the largest gender equality conferences in the world, and for the first time ever, the conference will be hosted in the Oceanic Pacific Region. If you are passionate about feminism and gender equality, we encourage you to join us online next Wednesday to find out more! 🔗 Register here: tinyurl.com/wd2026-update

All people in Victoria should have access to the food they need. 🥗 The  Community  Food  Relief  Program  has doubled its first-year investment to $9 million, to continue improving the state’s food supply networks and support locally led food relief activities.   Funding is delivered through two streams: Local grants and Coordination grants.  ✅ Local grants will support 126 organisations to deliver local food relief and food security activities. Funded projects will help more Victorians access healthy and culturally appropriate food. ✅7 state and regional food relief providers will receive Coordination grants. These grants aim to strengthen food relief networks through large partnership projects. This funding will continue to make a meaningful difference for Victorians experiencing food insecurity across the state. Congratulations to all the successful organisations. Browse the list of recipients and learn more: https://lnkd.in/gYeViqh4

Meet resident Laura and her glamorously regal pet cat the Marquess Flou Pantalon! 👩🐈 Each month we're featuring some of the amazing Victorian social housing residents and recognising the great companionship their pets provide. 🥰 These communities remind us of the benefits living in a neighbourhood that is highly diverse in culture, religion and ethnicity. 🏘️🤗 📍 Melbourne’s Inner North / Wurundjeri Country. 📅 🎉 In search of the best pets living in social housing, these Victorian residents and their pet was selected for our inaugural Pets at Our Place 2025 Calendar. #PetsAtOurPlace #PetsOfVictoria #PetsOfMelbourne #SocialHousing  Homes Victoria

In need of a motivation boost? Look no further than the Victorian Senior of the Year Award recipients. 🏆 Meet some of the awardees: ⭐Patrick Templeton – Premier's Award for Victorian Senior of the Year ⭐Aunty Jo Russell – Emerging Impact Award ⭐Dilnaz Billimoria – Promotion of Multiculturalism Award ⭐Geoffrey Mann – Council on the Ageing (COTA) Victoria Senior Achiever Award. 👏 Congratulations to all the recipients of this year's awards. Your efforts have made a real difference to people in Victoria. 👉 To find out more about the awardees, you can watch the extended video on our YouTube channel, or head to https://lnkd.in/grbcE5zW 📍 Government House is located on the traditional lands of the Wurundjeri and Bunurong people. #VicSeniorOfTheYearAwards City of Greater Geelong Whitehorse City Council Hume City Council Manningham Council