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Overview: We collated some food, welfare and health services as part of a survey we conducted back in 2021. Having pulled them together, it seemed silly not to make a blog post out of them. Reading time ~ 6 minutes.

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Food services – Flinders University and Community

Are you struggling to get enough food to eat or with the costs of food?

The following services may be of assistance:

 

Flinders University specific services

Flinders Community Market – Every Thursday during Term time, you can access FREE fruit and vegetables and LOW COST pantry items at the Flinders Community Market  – More information and bookings (essential) at  https://oasis.flinders.edu.au/flinders-community-market/

The Flinders University Student Association (FUSA) has a financial advocacy service that provides information and assistance on all things financial and can help you find ways to improve your financial situation  – https://fusa.edu.au/financial-advocacy/

If you are on the Bedford Park Campus and can drop into the FUSA offices on Level 1, Student Hub. Here you can access food parcels, Foodbank vouchers and pre-loaded public transport metrocards.

 

Food assistance service in the Community 

The People’s Pantry is one of a number of food hubs in Adelaide that students can access. Located  at 1708 Main South Road, O’Halloran Hill, the service provides low cost Affordable groceries – https://www.facebook.com/peoplespantrysouth/

Another food hub that students can access is the Baptist Care SA Community Food Hub at 216 Wright Street in the City – https://baptistcaresa.org.au/foodhubadelaide

Food Vouchers for international students experiencing financial hardship are available via application at this link- https://studyadelaide.com/food-hub

 

Health, Wellbeing and Welfare Services

If you are struggling with issues other than food, the following links might be helpful. 

 

Health, Counselling and Disability Services (HCD)

The University offers free GP appointments on campus at Bedford Park with nursing and pathology collection services also available- https://students.flinders.edu.au/support/hcd/health

A free and confidential counselling service (up to 6 sessions per year) is available to all undergraduate and postgraduate students, including students studying entirely online. Our qualified, experienced counsellors can help with academic issues (like time management, procrastination, exam anxiety) and personal issues (like mental ill health, stress management, relationship issues and problem-solving) – https://students.flinders.edu.au/support/hcd/counselling – appointments can be face-to-face or via Phone/Skype. 

For students who have a disability, including medical conditions, mental health conditions, learning difficulties or any disability that impacts on study, there is a Disability Support Service available to help you manage your studies better – https://students.flinders.edu.au/support/hcd/disability

Finally, HCD offers an After hours crisis support line – Call 1300 512 409 or text 0488 884 103. It operates weekdays from 5pm to 9am and 24 hours on weekends and public holidays. 

Use this confidential support service if you are emotionally distressed, experiencing mental health issues, having thoughts of self-harm or just need someone to talk to when distressed. 

For the full range of HCD services and programs, see our Service Brochure – https://students.flinders.edu.au/content/dam/student/documents/hcds-service-brochure.pdf 

 

Oasis Community Centre

OASIS is a Student Community Wellbeing Centre focused on supporting the physical, emotional, social and spiritual needs of students. The Oasis Centre is located on the Bedford Park campus but also has a FLO topic where you can access different wellbeing and support programs.

Programs that Oasis staff run include casual conversation groups, mindful yoga, mindfulness meditation, mental fitness, tackling procrastination and the food market. Students can access chaplains for supportive conversations and prayer rooms. Learn more at https://oasis.flinders.edu.au/ or follow us on Facebook – https://www.facebook.com/oasisatflinders  

 

International Student Services

International Student Services (ISS) is part of Flinders International. The ISS is the first point of contact for all international students at Flinders University. The team offers a range of programs supporting enrolment, study and social life as well as referring students to services on campus and within the local community, 

The team supports students who are experiencing challenges in adjusting to the Australian academic and living environment including a one to one confidential appointment with an International Student Advisor. We provide timely, specialised and personalised support to all international students at Flinders.

Visit https://students.flinders.edu.au/support/iss and our ISS FLO page for resources to assist you with your studies and wellbeing.

 

Other support services in the University

The student portal is your ideal starting point for learning about the services and programs available at the university

https://students.flinders.edu.au/

 

 

Health and Welfare services in the Community

There are many services out in the community, more than we can list here. However there are some good portal sites that aggregate information on the different community services. 

Affordable SA is for South Australians struggling with affordability issues. It makes it easy to access information, resources, support, and services to best meet your needs. They focus on housing, financial, transport, education, health, food, justice and wellbeing services – https://www.affordablesa.com.au/

When you’re looking for support, Ask Izzy can help you to find the services you need, now and nearby. It is free and anonymous, and you can search over 360,000 services to find housing, meals, healthcare, counselling, legal advice, addiction treatment and a whole lot more – https://askizzy.org.au/

International students who have been affected by the Coronavirus situation can learn more about the supports offered to them via https://studyadelaide.com/whats-happening/novel-coronavirus-2019-ncov-update-international-students