News
Emerging face of homelessness
August 11, 2010
Heart of Melbourne Appeal 2010
Today the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation launched its fifth annual Heart of Melbourne Appeal. The appeal raises money for welfare charities that provide support services to Melbourne’s homeless and disadvantaged.
Homelessness is a major social issue. Approximately 15,000 Melburnians live without a permanent place to call home and 4000 families are in need of safe accommodation. (Census 2006).
The Foundation’s CEO Andrew Chappell said a major concern was the increase of women and children who become homeless due to domestic violence. A startlingly statistic from Victoria Police shows a record 77 per cent of family violence victims are women and girls. (Victoria Police Crime Stats 2008-09).
“Fifty-five per cent of women with children seeking homeless support are homeless because of family breakdown and violence. This is a serious issue which we are focussing on during our Heart of Melbourne Appeal.”
Brenda House, a women’s crisis and support centre, has received funding from the Foundation to provide crisis support for children coming into their service. They have employed specialised children’s staff to care for the children, provide counselling and work to rebuild their self-esteem.
FareShare is another organisation receiving funding from the Foundation to support people who are homeless and living in need. Each year FareShare provides 500,000 ready to serve meals to 150 charities throughout Melbourne.
“FareShare is helping struggling families meet the cost of living by providing freshly cooked meals that are nutritious and ready for dinner. They also provide breakfast packages to schools as there is an increasing number of children going to school without breakfast or a sandwich for lunch,” added Mr Chappell.
“There are about 60 charities we are providing funding to from our Heart of Melbourne Appeal, and we are seeking the support of everyone in Melbourne to help us meet the growing demand for homeless support services.”
One hundred per cent of donations received to the Heart of Melbourne Appeal will be distributed directly to charities needing extra funding to support Melbourne’s homeless.
To make a donation to the Heart of Melbourne Appeal phone the Foundation on 9633 0000 or online here.
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