Having held the Manager position for our Alcohol and Other Drugs Program for several years, he’s now preparing to lead our newest service: the Reintegration Housing Support Program. With this new program comes a new and exciting opportunity to establish our vital services across Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong and Dubbo.
A chance for everyone – Introducing Paul Hardy, the pioneer of our newest Housing Support Program
We all need a little support sometimes. But what if no one’s there to help when you need it most? Paul Hardy has spent almost nine years with us, assisting people who use alcohol and other drugs (AOD). Now, he’s preparing to take the next step: managing our new program to help people return to the community following release from prison.
A career of caring
Paul Hardy believes that everyone should be able to access support to change their life for the better. This belief has seen him pursue a career in the human services sector, and it serves as his guiding light at the Community Restorative Centre (CRC).
In his nine years with us, Paul has managed our Alcohol and Other Drugs (AOD) Program. But now, he’s preparing to launch into an exciting, brand new position as Regional Manager of our Reintegration Housing Support Program, funded by the Department of Communities and Justice.
Paul’s passion for helping others stems back to his days as a young Sociology student in London. While studying, he became more and more aware of how our society creates unfair disadvantages for some and provides great privilege for others. Paul quickly knew where to point his career path. And after two decades working in various homelessness and AOD service organisations in the UK and Australia, Paul says he’s still excited by the prospect of helping others to improve their living circumstances.
“At CRC, our supportive culture runs through the entire organisation. I’ve been given the freedom to implement our model of work in a brand-new program. I want to support our clients and make our services as accessible as possible. That’s why I’m excited to begin this new role and introduce a new group of Senior Transition Case Workers and Transition Case Workers to our organisation.”
A new beginning
As he prepares to launch the Program, Paul is busily preparing to hire a number of new recruits to join this newly created team. He can’t wait to get them involved in establishing and delivering these vital services.
“Our role is to connect with and support people who are about to be released from prison into the community across Sydney and regional New South Wales. Our focus will be on assisting people to secure long-term housing, obtaining identification, Centrelink payments, and opening bank accounts. We’ll also be linking them to general practitioners, and mental health and drug and alcohol services. Too often, people are released with no clothes and no phone – but we’ll help give them the foundation to rebuild their life.”
Paul and his team will establish CRC’s services in Sydney, Newcastle, Wollongong, and Dubbo. This means our dedicated team of case management staff will help more people access vital support and, ultimately, transition successfully into the community.
“There is a real need for our services in these areas. It’s a privilege to work alongside such dedicated people. At CRC, we believe everyone deserves another chance.”
CRC – a chance to make a real difference
Reflecting on his time with us so far, Paul says that our methods consistently improved our clients’ livelihoods and wellbeing. He recalls the results of a research paper that tracked client interactions with CRC, and showed a significantly lowered engagement with the criminal justice system over time.
The paper reinforced what Paul already knew: our processes work, and they improve lives.
Paul has spent his career immersing himself in the sector he loves. And in his spare time, he’s a proud member of the Practice Leadership Group for the Network of Alcohol and Other Drugs Agencies (NADA). He recalls with pride one of his most memorable moments with us: having his AOD team win an award for Excellence in Treatment.
“My work at CRC has opened the door to many unique and interesting experiences. I’ve also been asked to give talks about the work we’ve done!”
Paul now has team-building front of mind and is looking to hear from people with the integrity and passion to join him at CRC.
“I feel proud to be hiring for this team and this Program. This line of work is so worthwhile, not just because you’re doing the right thing – but because you can see the positive outcomes of your work. No matter your role, you complete it with integrity at heart.”
Are you looking for a career where you can work with integrity, and create lasting impact for people in the community? Find out more about our new case management positions today.