Pictured (left to right): Eat Up, Roundabout Canberra, and Free to Feed
During Homelessness Week in August, more than 717 cafes, 44 roasters, and numerous communities joined forces across Australia to tackle homelessness while enjoying their favourite brew. Their extraordinary collective effort in August resulted in $147,585 of funding support for 133 front-line organisations that care for our most vulnerable. This critical and remarkable impact occurred in many regions of Australia and stands as evidence of the passion and support that both coffee lovers, roasters, cafes, and sponsors share towards this issue.
During a year when frontline services have been inundated with a significant rise in requests for assistance from people experiencing homelessness, poverty, food insecurity, and struggling to meet the escalating expenses of daily life, CafeSmart has provided critical financial support for local community services that operate at the grassroots level.
What’s unique about CafeSmart, and indeed StreetSmart’s approach, is our commitment to keeping it local. That means the $1 from a cup of coffee bought in Ballarat, Perth, Toowoomba, or Launceston on CafeSmart day stays as close to that community as possible, and pooled with other donations from nearby customers and cafes, ends up funding local-led responses to homelessness.
147,585
5,500
133
“Thanks to Mint and Jam Cafe, this grant will help us feed the folk of Yea. With inflation, interest rate rises and food access becoming more difficult, we are finding that our current small budget is not enough to meet the demand from hungry families and people.”
– Yea Community House in VIC (on Taungurung Country)
Some of the local impact from CafeSmart this year…
Mad About Coffee and Tea (who raised over $450!), is helping support hygiene, laundry and social connection programs.
“Darwin has the highest rate of homelessness of any city in Australia, with an estimated two to three thousand people living rough at any one time. The Darwin mobile laundry and shower service provides free laundry, showers and non-judgemental conversation to people experiencing disadvantage throughout the Darwin region.”
– Orange Sky Darwin on Larrakia Country
Pictured: Orange Sky’s Darwin Van ‘Betsy’ (Facebook)
Pictured: Dismantle (Facebook)
Kwik Koffee Belmont (who raised $342!) is helping provide mentorship to at-risk young people.
“By working shoulder to shoulder to dismantle, customise and rebuild two bikes, qualified mentors can build rapport and chat about careers, relationships and wellbeing. This grant will help us reach more at risk cohorts, experiencing insecure or temporary housing situations, with the risk of homelessness a real possibility. ”
-Dismantle in Perth (on Whadjuk Noongar Country)
Sunshine Social (who raised $820!) is helping keep those facing rough sleeping as safe as possible with material aid and support.
“Thank you! This CafeSmart grant will be spent securing backpack beds for those we are unable to accommodate, and helping us continue to support them with Emergency Relief, and case management. Many families are currently staying in emergency accommodation, and will need to vacate over Christmas with no other housing options at this time. Having a backpack bed will allow clients to land somewhere while we spend time working on other areas and barriers to stable housing.”
– Youturn in Noosaville (On Kabi Kabi Country)
Pictured: Youturn Youth Support (Facebook)
Pictured: Mental Health Support Group (Facebook)
Ballina RSL (who raised $1,500!) are helping those with mental illness facing homelessness be supported into safe homes.
“The Mental Health Support Group wishes to alleviate disadvantage by providing household items and furniture for the homeless, domestic violence survivors and all who suffer from mental illness. Our clients lack affordable housing and the finances to replace broken electrical goods, beds and other household items. For the homeless and domestic violence survivors they have no finances to furnish a complete home.”
-Mental Health Support Group in Ballina (on Bundgalung Country)
Allee Espresso (who raised $2,275!) are helping local food relief services meet the growing demand from families going hungry.
“Cost of living crisis is hitting hard in regional Victoria – with fixed costs in place like power, rent, mortgage, fuels, internet etc going up food is the first item to be cut in the weekly budget. We are currently experiencing an 11% increase in demand for emergency food relief. This donation will help with the delivery of Emergency Relief, Material Aid, Food Relief and other crisis responses, to directly help people experiencing disadvantage.”
-Western District Food Share(on Gunditjamara Country)
