We are in the midst of a cost-of-living and housing crisis. To respond, StreetSmart donors and supporters raised funds through May, June and July (including our EOFY Winter Appeal), enabling us to make 59 community grants providing $320,000 for Emergency Relief and Food Relief programs, along with Flood Relief grants and our SmartMeals and Making-a-Home programs. Read more…
For over two years the community sector has been on the frontline of the COVID-19 pandemic and has been caring for our community’s most vulnerable. We have seen them step up, protect lives and help people through the most difficult circumstances. To recognise frontline workers and the personal toll this work has on their health and wellbeing, in 2020 we set up our SmartCare initiative. To date we have made $67,000 of grants to 26 organisations, and we need your support to do more in 2022.
Research, and our own lived experiences, tell us that more frequent social contact is associated with higher life satisfaction and better, overall health and wellbeing outcomes. Conversely, social isolation and loneliness can have significant, negative impacts for many people’s health and wellbeing. In May, as part of our Collective initiative we partnered with a local philanthropic Foundation to support 8 social inclusion programs across Metro Melbourne.
The incredible support from Sheridan Australia and their generous customers since August 2019 has resulted in over $1 million raised for the SleepSafe program. The latest distributions of more than 20,000 high quality sheets and towels to flood affected regions, Domestic Violence refuges, youth accommodation services, and newly arrived Afghan evacuees, is a testament to this collaborative partnership. Sleep kits are making a real difference for vulnerable Australians and the frontline organisations that support them.
The incredible support from Sheridan Australia and their generous customers since August 2019 has resulted in over $1 million raised for the SleepSafe program. The latest distributions of more than 20,000 high quality sheets and towels to flood affected regions, Domestic Violence refuges, youth accommodation services, and newly arrived Afghan evacuees, is a testament to this collaborative partnership. Sleep kits are making a real difference for vulnerable Australians and the frontline organisations that support them.
The past two years have been difficult for young people, and particularly for young people experiencing homelessness or severe disadvantage. Sectors of the economy which employ young people (retail, hospitality, arts, recreation and micro enterprises) were shut down, and education opportunities disrupted, compounding already high unemployment rates for certain cohorts including migrant and refugee communities. As the economy has opened up marginalised young people have been hard hit by rising rents and a return to below poverty line income supports, they need targeted opportunities.
When a natural disaster strikes and the impact is felt as wide-spread as the recent floods, we can feel overwhelmed. As individuals it’s often hard to know where to direct our support. How do we know who is in the most need? Who can we trust to get the job done? Will my small donation make a difference? These are all valid questions, especially in the immediate aftermath. Recent experiences of people waiting for bush fire relief and assistance resulted in many people being put off from donating, supporting the responding charities. This is understandable, but ignores the fact that thousands of volunteers and hundreds of local organisations are jumping straight in to assist people, and they need our support.
StreetSmart is an inclusive, respectful, and welcoming workplace that values diversity of expression. We know that members of the LGBTQIA+ community are particularly vulnerable to experiencing homelessness and we partner with organisations that work to support people in need, without discrimination or prejudice.
We acknowledge the Wurundjeri people of the Kulin Nation as the Traditional Custodians of the unceded lands on which our organisation is located and where we conduct our business. We pay our respects to Elders, past and present. StreetSmart is committed to honouring Indigenous peoples’ unique cultural and spiritual relationships to the land, waters and seas and their rich contribution to society.
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