Our annual Christmas lunch for isolated single parents and their children is on again this year. 🎄🎁If you are a single parent with children and would like to attend and share an amazing friendly and welcoming Christmas Day lunch with us please click the link below and book your tickets. 🎁🎄 Unfortunately due to covid restrictions we need to keep our numbers of guests and volunteers lower than usual so we only have space for four families left. Our Volunteer list is now full but we thank each and every one of you for offering to assist. https://www.trybooking.com/BNQBG
National Homeless Collective
When mums and kids flee domestic violence they generally do so with just the clothes on their backs. When the amazing people at Launch Housing start working with these families they contact us at the National Homeless Collective so we can assist the kids via our School Project. We believe every child has the right to an education and also the right to experience those positive memories at school camps and swimming. The School Project’s aim is to provide any equipment required to help the kids continue with their education. We provide equipment like books, stationery, bags and lunch packs. […]
Thanks to Caroline Zielinski for this inspiring write up on how workplaces can change their employment conditions to include more people with housing insecurity. Click Here For The Full Article #homelessness #employment #employability #selfdetermination #finance #makespaceintheworkplace #housing #housingcrisis #womenatwork #womenempowerment
Donna Stolzenberg took her lived expereince of homelessness and became the founder of the National Homeless Collective a grassroots organisation helping people affected by homelessness, domestic violence and social disadvantage. Find out how Donna’s work helps Australians hit by bushfires, COVID-19 and lockdown. CLICK HERE TO WATCH THE VIDEO ON abc.net.au FACEBOOK #AusoftheYear
Below is an excerpt from the Women Beyond 40 Blog: Proud Indigenous woman Donna Stolzenberg is a CEO, keynote speaker and trainer. In 2014, she had the simple idea of handing out 50 donated sleeping bags to homeless people. That idea has evolved into a nationwide charity. The National Homeless Collective (NHC) is a grassroots Australian organisation that helps people affected by homelessness, domestic violence and social disadvantage. A mother of five boys and a grandmother of two, Donna has lived experience of overcoming homelessness and hardship. Under Donna’s direction, NHC has created six sub-charities targeting different issues – Period […]
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 […]
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 […]