Children without safe homes, living in poverty, and affected by domestic and family violence need immediate and trauma-informed care. We need to be responding to the urgent needs of children, who are often the voiceless victims of violence, homelessness and poverty. That’s why we have channeled over $100,000 into 14 grassroot services to support vulnerable children.
It’s been a whirlwind 5 months as TipJar Tours Australia. The Alternative Dairy Co have taken their Team Championship across the country, raising funds to provide hospitality based training and employment opportunities to at-risk cohorts.
Young people in Australia are entering homelessness at increasing rates, couch surfing and staying in insecure accommodation to avoid sleeping rough. Join us as we rally support to take action on youth homelessness, helping to provide safe housing and essential support.
As Australia grapples with the deepening and costly homelessness crisis, leaders are advocating for an uptake of more creative and innovative approaches like ‘meanwhile use’ and ‘change of use’ projects. StreetSmart have funded ‘meanwhile use’ projects before and have recently collaborated with grant recipient Bridge It, in Melbourne, to fund another much-needed innovation to reduce youth homelessness.
We know that young people are disproportionately impacted by the current housing crisis and face multiple barriers to securing any kind of accommodation. The result is rising youth homelessness. Currently there is no national strategy or adequate funding to address this situation for thousands of our young people. That’s why in April we raised funds to support three youth services in regional centres.
Family violence, relationship breakdowns and the soaring cost of living are placing more young people at risk of homelessness, while our housing crisis makes it increasingly difficult for homeless youth to find a safe and secure home. At-risk and vulnerable youth are increasingly falling through the gaps and being turned away from support services. This April we are supporting Youth Homelessness Maters Day (YHMD) and raising funds to support youth facing homelessness into safe and stable housing, breaking the cycle of disadvantage.
While StreetSmart has been engaging with schools for years, our new program Schools for Change, has recently launched as an exciting offering to school communities across Australia. The program incorporates free, age-appropriate educational resources like curriculum aligned lessons with fundraising support to engage and empower school communities.
The impact of poverty on children is often profound and enduring, yet one in six Australian children currently live in poverty. It is forecast that the rate of child poverty will exceed pre-pandemic levels in 2023, having been reduced through the pandemic by the COVID Supplement payments. As we continue to be impacted by the ongoing pandemic and cost of living pressures, we are seeing rising rates of homelessness and family violence. We need early, trauma-informed, developmentally appropriate and culturally safe, sustained support for children, but also for families experiencing hardship.
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.
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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.
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.
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