For more than 160 years, AnglicareSA has been supporting South Australians in need — working together to transform lives for the better.
In 1860, Julia Farr led the establishment of South Australia’s earliest Anglican charitable organisation, The Orphan Home.
The Home which cared for girls aged five to 12, sparked the founding of several Anglican homes throughout South Australia providing support and care for hundreds children and women seeking refuge.
With the homes all operating as independent institutions and the increasing numbers of family living in poverty in mind, in the 1940s, Bishop Robin pressed the Anglican Church to authorise the establishment of a Social Welfare Committee and Bureau.
The Bureau offered support which included placing children into homes and adoption, supplying clothing and funds. In identifying the need for care accommodation for older people, it wasn’t long before the Anglican Community’s institutions branched into aged care services.
From this humble beginning, the Committee quickly discovered, as did many other social welfare organisations, the escalating need in the community for various social support services.
In 1998, the name ‘Anglicare’ was introduced to SA and in 2000, AnglicareSA was independently incorporated – officially gaining not-for-profit status.
Independence and local control remained, but the new brand made it part of a recognisable network of support agencies across Australia.
What started as a single building on Carrington St in Adelaide CBD continues to grow deep roots – now each year, we support more than 50,000 South Australians through our 2,000 hard-working staff, 300 dedicated volunteers and a diverse portfolio of social service programs.