There has been a lot of media surrounding the governments’ annual report on Closing the Gap. The results are sobering, and sadly not surprising given the paternalistic and poorly managed implementation by successive governments. Some Indigenous leaders have called for new targets to be included in Closing the Gap, including housing justice, family violence, and children in care. So what is the situation in Indigenous housing?
This February will mark 10 years since Kevin Rudd stood on the parliament floor and said ‘sorry’ to the stolen generations. It was a rare moment and the nation seemed poised to genuinely move towards reconciliation.
Sadly, in the 10 years that have passed, not a lot has changed. Read More
While the stereotypical face of poverty is a older man – a lifetime down on his luck, the fastest growing demographic of people experiencing homelessness is single women over the age of 55.
For 15 years StreetSmart has been funding smaller grassroots organisations on the front line of community services. In recent years we have supported a number of services that are raising alarm bells about the scale of the issue, and the need for urgent reform. Read More
As we wind up another year, it is a good time to pause and reflect on where we have come from, and where we need to go. Sadly, 2017 has not been a positive year for the state of homelessness. We have continued to backslide on key issues like affordable housing, and maintained the status quo in key funding areas. While government has failed to act, 2017 has also seen increasing public concern, and greater media reporting on the causes and harms of homelessness. Read More
From classic Italian, to cutting edge European – we have the ultimate guide dining out in Brisbane while supporting local projects that tackle homelessness.
DineSmart Ambassador Andy Buchanan owns two of Brisbane’s leading restaurants – Urbane and The Euro – “We are proud to participate in DineSmart. StreetSmart have strong relationships with the homelessness sector, and the funds we raise support a range of really great projects in Brisbane.” If you have not indulged in the award winning fare Andy’s team dish up, DineSmart is the perfect excuse.
Here at StreetSmart we love this time of year. DineSmart is in full swing with 122 restaurants around the country busy raising funds for us and we get to announce our CafeSmart Community Grants – the culmination of all that hard work a few months ago. With the support of thousands of coffee drinkers and more than 763 cafes we were able to raise a record $215,500 back on 4th August. Our generous Sponsors sponsored, Roasters donated beans, baristas brewed, and thousands of people came together to raise funds and take action against homelessness.
The Grenet Foundation and the Australian Communities Foundation kicked in an additional $70,000 in matched funding through our ‘Collective’ – bringing our CafeSmart total to $285,500 for local homelessness projects.
We have been able to support 156 organisations across Australia, including 46 new organisations and 12 Lead Grant projects. A massive thank you to everyone who got involved and made these grants possible – here is where your dollars are headed….
One of the things we love about DineSmart is it is a wonderful excuse to explore and fall in love with new restaurants while doing some good. This year, we have an exciting bunch of venues in Melbourne’s inner west – and the ultimate guide dining out while supporting local projects that tackle homelessness.
The Bad Love Club is a new kid on the block, and wife and husband team Sarah Ryan and Damien Shaw decided to open in Footscray where Damien grew up. “We have lots of regulars, but we’d also like to see Footscray become somewhere people come to eat and drink. There are lots of great spots – and we all support each other.” The Bad Love Club is your go-to for early morning and after dinner fixes. By morning they serve up Sensory Lab coffee, jaffles and bagels, and by night they do “boozy bakery” treats that pair house baked goods with delicious dessert cocktails. Read More
On the 4th August 763 cafes and 50 Coffee Roasters teamed up with their customers to raise over $200,000. HOW GOOD IS THAT! It was a massive community effort resulting in an increase in donations of 25% (on 2016 results) so we are all pretty chuffed!
A huge thanks and a hearty slap on the back to everyone who participated and chipped into the CafeSmart pot, all those micro donations really add up. We are now busy working to distribute these funds to support local homeless services and will announce recipients in late November. CafeSmart is all about the $1 micro donation and how we can all take action and chip in to make a difference. We love and appreciate all our CafeSmart supporters and participants, and it is certainly the case that the sum is more than the parts, however, we also like to acknowledge our top contributors…
Roaster Awards
The drivers of CafeSmart are our Roaster Partners. They help us connect with the industry and cafes across the country. Coffee Roasters are the engine room of CafeSmart. Our 2017 Roaster Champs were the awesome crew at Single O who recruited and supported 64 of their wholesale customers. A close second and runners up were long-time supporters Five Senses. Our Top Five Coffee Roasters were…
- Single O
- Five Senses
- Campos Coffee
- Allpress
- Axil Coffee Roasters
![The Single O team take out the Top Roaster Award](http://streetsmartaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/Single_O_team_600x600.jpg)
The Single O team take out the Top Roaster Award
2017 Café Fundraising Awards
This year we had 30% more cafes involved across Australia with a big jump in NSW and QLD. This means that more homeless projects in those States will be funded and more people helped. Every café who gets involved has an impact on their community, and in some cases cafes go beyond the call of duty. Hats off to our top fundraisers…
The team at Yellow Bernard in Hobart were once again our National Fundraising Champions raising a staggeringly huge $1,686, and Two Chaps in Marrickville were our Runners Up raising an equally amazing $1,541. Single O CBD in Sydney were our ‘Beat Your Best’ Champs increasing their Year on Year tally by the most, and the ‘Best New Café’ went to The Grounds in the City in Sydney. This year we also introduced the ‘Collection Box Challenge’ which was won by On The Go Espresso in Marcoola, Sunshine Coast, who collected $822.50 from their very generous customers. We also acknowledge cafes and people who shone as our Community Champions – putting in a huge effort to make CafeSmart such a success.
![David and team at Yellow Bernard, Hobart, Top Fundraisers Award](http://streetsmartaustralia.org/wp-content/uploads/Yellow_Bernard_CafeSmart2017_Winner_600x600.jpg)
David and team at Yellow Bernard, Hobart, Top Fundraisers Award
The Full List of Awards…
Fundraising Awards | Café Name |
---|---|
National Fundraising Champions | Yellow Bernard |
National Top Fundraiser Runners Up | Two Chaps Cafe |
Top 10 National Fundraisers - No. 3 | The Grounds of Alexandria |
Top 10 National Fundraisers - No. 4 | Kwik Koffee Busselton |
Top 10 National Fundraisers - No.5 | Higher Ground |
Top 10 National Fundraisers - No.6 | The Grounds of the City |
Top 10 National Fundraisers - No. 7 | Yelo |
Top 10 National Fundraisers - No.8 | Single O - Surry Hills |
Top 10 National Fundraisers - No.9 | Axil Coffee Roasters - HQ |
Top 10 National Fundraisers - No. 10 | Top Paddock |
Beat Your Best Champs | Single O - CBD CAFÉ |
Beat Your best runners up | On The Go Espresso |
Beat Your Best - No.3 | Kwik Koffee Busselton |
Beat Your Best - No.4 | Flock Espresso & Eats |
Beat Your Best - No.5 | The Cog |
National Best New Café | The Grounds of the City |
Best New Café runners up | Axil Coffee Roasters - Chadstone |
Best New Café - No.3 | Le Grove Cafe |
Best New Café - No.4 | Padre Coffee Sth Melb Mkt |
Best New Café - No.5 | Milky Joe's |
State Champs | |
ACT | Stand By Me |
NSW | Two Chaps Café |
NT | Laneway Specialty Coffee |
QLD | On The Go Espresso |
SA | Taste the Yorke |
TAS | Yellow Bernard |
VIC | Higher Ground |
WA | Kwik Koffee Busselton |
Collection Box Challenge - Winner | On The Go Espresso |
Collection Box Challenge- Runner up | Yellow Bernard |
Collection Box Challenge - 3rd | Taste the Yorke |
Collection Box Challenge - 4th | Kwik Koffee Busselton |
Collection Box Challenge - 5th | Single O - Surry Hills |
Community Champions Awards | Alowishus Delicious |
Danni Mann - Besser Kitchen | |
Dave Humphrys - On the Go Espresso | |
Mrs P's | |
Pioneer Coffee Roasters | |
Stand By Me Café | |
Two Chaps Café | |
Vertue of the Coffee Drink | |
Yellow Bernard |
We couldn’t raise these funds without the support of our event sponsors so a huge shout out and thanks to SKIP (our Principal Sponsors), Broadsheet, La Marzocco and Ordermate for their financial support and commitment to the event and cause, and for the help from supporters Cargo Crew and Beanscene.
Photo Competition
We had over 1250+ photos posted to social media – check out the winners here.
And a selection from the event in our Facebook Photo Album
Finally – thanks to everyone who drank a brew or two on the day and chipped in to help us support people across our communities doing it tough.
DineSmart is our longest running campaign, we are more determined than ever to raise much-needed funds for local homelessness services. The backdrop to this year’s campaign is a rising homelessness crisis, and a critical funding shortage in the homelessness sector.
DineSmart runs in close partnership with some of Australia’s best restaurants, beautiful regional estates, and tiny little eateries that know every customer by name. What they share in common, is a love for their local area. Read More
So-called ‘tent city’ on the doorstep of the Reserve Bank in Sydney and Flinders Street in Melbourne has generated a lot of media, and heavy-handed responses from public institutions. But sadly, homelessness in metro Australia is just the tip of a much greater problem.
A recent report by the Council for Homeless Persons found that 37% of rough sleepers are in the middle and outer suburbs, whereas only 8% of people sleeping rough gravitate to inner metro areas.
“Rough sleeping in the CBD and central areas has a lot of visibility and media coverage, but there are a lot of rough sleepers in the outer suburbs,” says Jay Church from Anchor Housing, an organisation servicing Melbourne’s Yarra Ranges, and our StreetFunder supported project this October.
The Yarra Ranges includes the very outer urban fringe and semi-rural areas. The region ranks highly housing stress, which is estimated to sit at 30.3%. It also ranks in the top 10 areas for socio-economic disadvantaged communities nationally.
“The Yarra Ranges includes pockets of deep poverty and a highly vulnerable demographic,” Church said. “Coupled with the cost of private rental, the capacity to meet that cost is simply out of reach for lots of people.”
Suburban homelessness is increasing in lockstep with rising housing prices, stagnant wages and, below poverty level income support payments. In areas with few job opportunities, and poor amenities, services like Anchor Housing are a lifeline for people doing it tough.
The Rough Sleeper Initiative engaged rough sleepers in Melbourne, Port Phillip, Stonnington and Yarra Ranges. They found the majority of people were on some form of income support, and in labour force. “This picture supports a conclusion that labour market conditions and low-income support payments are drivers of increasing levels of homelessness and rough sleeping,” the report said.
Anchor Housing provided 1,839 bed nights in 2016/17 and about 46% of those helped were already homeless when they presented. The other 54% are part of a growing demographic of the ‘almost homeless’ – people in deep financial stress and at risk of losing their home.
Deep cuts to the federal social services budget over successive years has stripped away the ability of many services to assist people in crisis who need assistance with bills, rent, medicines, food and other basic needs.
We have been funding homelessness organisations for fifteen years, and the sad reality is that it is getting worse, not better. More and more people require help to meet very basic living costs, and often small amounts of funding are all that stands between someone having a home and them ending up homeless. Meanwhile, services are having their funding cut, or left in a constant state of limbo.
StreetSmart has supported Anchor with $15,900 in community grants since 2006 and will be supporting Anchor again this October to try and redress the black hole funding cuts have left in their material aid budget. That means a food voucher for a young family in crisis accommodation or financial assistance to keep up with the cost of private rental.
“We support people who are experiencing homelessness to get back on track, including people are rough sleeping. We also do a lot of work with people at risk. Preventing people from becoming homeless in the first place is a key.”