The City of Melbourne is calling on our community to support people who are doing it tough this Christmas by donating to homelessness support organisations.
Lord Mayor Sally Capp said many Melburnians cared deeply about people who experience homelessness but were unsure of the best way to help.
“One of the best ways that we can help people who experience homelessness is by giving to organisations that support people to find a permanent pathway out of homelessness,” the Lord Mayor said.
“By supporting these organisations, you’re giving people who are sleeping rough a better chance to find safe and secure housing.
“Importantly, you’re also helping people get support to address some of the complex circumstances that sometimes go hand-in hand with homelessness.”
Chair of the People City portfolio, Councillor Beverley Pinder, invited people who want to give at Christmas to consider donating to homelessness support organisations.
“At Christmas, many people want to give back to the community, and help people who might be going through difficult times, particularly people experiencing homelessness,” Cr Pinder said.
“We have so many organisations in our community doing wonderful work to support people in need and I would encourage anyone who wants to make a difference to support them.”
The City of Melbourne directly supports people who experience homelessness through services such as the Daily Support Team, who provide outreach support services to people who sleep rough in the city.
Earlier this year the City of Melbourne launched an Australian-first Library Social Worker to support vulnerable library users including people who are homeless; and invested $200,000 in the cohealth Street Doctor project to provide free medical services to people sleeping rough.
Deputy Lord Mayor Arron Wood said the City of Melbourne was investing $1.9 million to help address homelessness in 2019/2020. This includes $438,000 for the Salvation Army’s Night Time Safe Place cafe, and $480,000 for Melbourne City Mission’s youth homelessness services.
“Homelessness support organisations do a fantastic job of providing invaluable services and assistance to people who are homeless,” the Deputy Lord Mayor said.
“The City of Melbourne is proud to support these organisations to continue with their essential work and we invite everyone in the community to get behind these groups.”
Melburnians are asked to consider donating directly to one of the City of Melbourne’s partner organisations which include: Anglicare Victoria, The Big Issue, Launch Housing, Melbourne City Mission, The Salvation Army, Youth Projects or Vincentcare.
People can also buy the Big Issue magazine or Big Issue 2020 calendar from a street vendor, as a great way of supporting someone individually this Christmas.
