……. Photo: Tassie Mums
Responsiveness is part of who we are at StreetSmart
It’s shaped everything from DineSmart and CafeSmart to the way we support grassroots organisations on the frontline of homelessness. We’ve always focused on practical solutions that meet people where they are.
Our EOFY appeal is no different.
Right now, the fuel crisis is compounding the cost-of-living crisis, pushing people and services even further to the edge.
Across Australia, that’s showing up in real ways. Families can’t afford to travel to housing inspections. People living in cars are choosing between fuel and food. Parents are deciding between feeding their family and keeping the lights on. Even people in employment are struggling to make ends meet.
At the same time, the services people rely on are under pressure. Outreach is being scaled back. Volunteers are stepping away. The cost of simply showing up is rising.
……. Photo: The Carevan Foundation
This is no longer just a cost of living issue
People are trying to get help and not getting through, while services are struggling to keep up.
For many, the first thing to go isn’t housing.
It’s the ability to reach support. People can’t get to appointments.
They can’t travel to view properties. They can’t reach the services designed to help them.
“Clients are struggling to attend housing appointments because they can’t afford to travel to multiple property viewings.”
Mandy Booker, Wollongong Homeless Hub and Housing Services, NSW
This is especially true in outer suburban, regional and remote communities, where distance is already a barrier and rising fuel costs are making it worse.
When these pressures combine, people don’t just fall behind.
They fall through the cracks, and frontline services are seeing this play out every day.
The work hasn’t changed. But the cost of delivering it has. Fuel is affecting how far outreach teams can travel, how often services can run, and whether volunteers can keep showing up at all.
This is where StreetSmart’s model matters.
“Life was tough for many people in the community before this. What’s happening now is compounding that disadvantage.”
Neil Starkie, The Spiers Centre WA
“What used to be straightforward now requires more coordination and more support just to maintain the same level of care.”
Tony Ebejer, WERN VIC
We fund the organisations that keep support within reach, and we listen so we can respond to what’s happening in real time. Right now, that means helping services cover the rising cost of simply showing up.
Across our network, that support is already making a difference. It’s keeping outreach teams on the road. It’s helping deliver food and essential supplies. It’s providing fuel vouchers so people can get to housing, healthcare and support. And it’s helping services stay active in communities where distance is already a barrier.
What does this mean for people seeking support?
……. Photo: Image is representative. Maggi’s name has been changed and identifying details have been anonymised to protect her privacy.
After her rent was raised beyond what she could afford, Maggi began living in her car. What started as a temporary situation has stretched into months. Now, with fuel prices rising, even getting to the places that offer support is no longer guaranteed.
Finding somewhere safe to park means driving.
Accessing food or a shower means driving.
Getting advice or support means driving.
Every trip comes at a cost and that cost means Maggi’s choices are becoming impossible ones.
Does she use what little fuel is left to find a safer place to sleep, or to reach a support service tomorrow?
Does she risk staying put, or risk running out of fuel trying to get to help?
These aren’t sustainable choices. In fact, they’re not even choices really; they’re trade-offs.
And for so many people like Maggi, they’re happening every day.
Immediate and practical funding
Without intervention, the impacts we’re seeing now will continue to grow. People will miss appointments. Outreach will be reduced. Volunteers will step back. Communities will become more isolated. And at the same time, with housing supply under pressure, there are fewer pathways out.
If this continues, support becomes harder to deliver at the exact moment it’s needed most.
Your donation helps keep things moving.
It helps cover fuel and transport for outreach teams. It helps provide fuel vouchers so people can get to appointments. It helps keep food and essential supplies moving. And it helps services stay operational as costs rise.
Because support only works if people can reach it, and if services can keep showing up.
Right now, both are under pressure.
