When we think about homelessness it’s easy to think the pathway into it is and was the responsibility of the person experiencing it. Thus if they make a few changes to their lifestyle housing will suddenly become affordable. This simply isn’t true. Rental insecurity is on the rise across Australia with no policy or plan from any level of government to ease the pain of rental stress. The cost of housing rises far more each year than the annual salary, and this pushes adequate housing further and further out of reach. Currently around 200,000 Australians are on waiting lists to […]
Year: 2020
It was great to chat with Hilary Harper and the listeners of Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) Life Matters this morning. We discussed the changing landscape of employment in Australia and how we must make space in the workplace for people with housing insecurity. We talk about homelessness, National Homeless Collective and our op shop, The Kala Space, and how what we do so differently to other businesses is what helps keep vulnerable women in employment. We must make space in the workplace for people with housing insecurity and those who cannot adhere to rigid start and finish times. I’m often […]
More bikes put together at our HQ this weekend. These aren’t Christmas presents. They’re vehicles so children living in shelters, hotels and overcrowded dwellings can get to school next year. These children have almost always come through a family violence experience and they’ve usually had to leave everything behind. Getting to school on time is important to making sure kids start their school day without any more stress than they’re already under. We’re proud to be able to at least do that for them. December and January are always our busiest months as we try and get as many families […]
Last week we were contacted by a Mum desperate for some help to get her boy ready for high school. With the fees, the uniforms, the book lists, she was going to be more than $1000 out of pocket. This just should not be happening. So close to Christmas, parents out of work or reduced hours because of Covid, single parents struggling on Newstart allowance, looking for jobs that simply aren’t available to them, and stressed young teens who are worried they’re a burden on their parents who are just trying to get them educated. If we don’t give children […]
A massive thank you to all our beautiful supporters, look at what you have made happen. We initially had a target of 250 Christmas gifts for children in need this year and we achieved that goal in November. Then we set a target for 500 gifts and we are well on the way to smashing that goal!!! This is absolutely phenomenal and we couldn’t have done it without you!!! Thank you to every single one of you who has donated a gift or donated financially. We had the privilege of meeting some of our gift giving angels at The Kala […]
Yesterday I met with the Australian National Skills Commission with the goal of initiating changes in the employment landscape that will see more jobs available for people with housing insecurity and those experiencing homelessness. More needs to be done to address the individual employment needs of those who need extra supports put in place, who want to and are ready to work. We must have these conversations now so we will see a future where being unhoused is not a barrier to finding accessible, purposeful and enjoyable employment. This is just the beginning but we are starting to get a […]
Melbourne we cannot thank you enough. We put a call out for Christmas presents for kids who will otherwise receive nothing for Christmas due to many factors such as homelessness, poverty and the devastating effects of Covid, and in just a matter of days we raised enough money to buy gifts for 100 of our target of 250 children. These toys and gifts will all be going to Stevenson House to support families in Caroline Springs, Melton and Taylor’s Lakes area. We will be dropping them off to Catrice and her incredible team first thing tomorrow morning. We still have […]
I was absolutely thrilled to be on this weeks episode of Too Peas In A Podcast. It wasan incredible honour and so much fun. Click the link to hear how the charity got started, an impossible cat situation an reasons why charitable people should be able to swear too! https://podcasts.apple.com/au/podcast/too-peas-in-a-podcast/id1470294201?i=1000499252287
A couple of days ago we received an urgent email from an organisation who was looking after a middle aged woman who was sleeping rough. Hannah needed a place fast and she needed literally everything to go with it because she didn’t have a thing to her name. As soon as her house was sorted we went and seen our friends at Furniture & Mattress Depot where Vance sorted us out with some incredible bargains for an entire house of furniture for Hannah including 2 x 2 seater couches, a queen sized bed, tall boy, dining suite and TV stand […]
The Dan Andrews government this morning announced $5.2b in funding to build 12,000 new social housing units which will create around 18,000 new jobs. Whist this is absolutely fantastic news and something we have been lobbying for since we started this charity almost 6 years ago, we have still forgotten one fundamental flaw in the system. These jobs that will be created will mostly not be suitable for those living within the turmoil and chaos that homelessness and domestic violence brings. We believe in the housing first model but until we give a person back their sense of purpose we […]