The One Stop One Story (OSOS) Hub is celebrating its one-year anniversary, having helped over 850 Australians in reducing the runaround of repeating the story over and over to multiple service providers to get assistance.
The OSOS Hub is run by Thriving Communities Partnership (TCP), which was initiated by Yarra Valley Water and now comprises hundreds of members across Corporate Australia and the Welfare Sector.
TCP Chair Pat McCafferty, also Yarra Valley Water’s Managing Director, said the only way to bring significant change to the root causes of poverty and vulnerability is to work together in new ways.
“It’s incredible to see so many organisations across a range of sectors come together to support Australians in need. By working together with other service providers, we can maximise the support available and really make a difference,” he said.
“We’ve received referrals from people that may not have contacted us or known about the support we can provide them until it is too late. We’ve come a long way since the Hub was formed, and the number of referrals is increasing steadily every month. This is an opportunity to say thank you to all the organisations who have contributed by helping those in need in our community.”
The initial pilot focused on supporting members of the community impacted by Family and Domestic Violence. It has recently been expanded to assist other members of the community experiencing financial vulnerability.
The TCP website also offers a resource for flood-affected communities with response packages, support and information from organisations across Australia.
TCP Chief Executive Ciara Sterling said this is an important milestone and thanked everyone who contributed to the success of the Hub.
“This is a huge milestone for the OSOS Hub. We’ve worked closely with lived experience and more than 30 organisations to build the Hub, and it’s great to see the positive results achieved so far. This is due to the combined efforts and shared vision from multiple sectors. Thank you to everyone who has made this possible,” she said.
“We know many people in Australia don’t access the financial support they are entitled to, with key barriers including the fragmentation of hardship services and the need to keep retelling their story. Our goal is to see everyone have access to the modern essential services they need to thrive. We’re encouraging any business who is interested in signing up to the One Stop One Story Hub to get in touch.”
TCP connects with over 320 organisations from across Australia including utilities, financial services, telecommunications and transport, to collaborate for the benefit of the community.
Using a cross-sector referral process, the OSOS Hub makes it easier for people to access financial support from a range of essential services without needing to retell their story to each service provider.
To learn more about the One Stop One Story Hub, or if you are an Australian business looking to join the growing number of participating organisations, you can find out more at thriving.org.au/what-we-do/the-one-stop-one-story-hub.
