Here at StreetSmart we love this time of year. DineSmart is in full swing with 122 restaurants around the country busy raising funds for us and we get to announce our CafeSmart Community Grants – the culmination of all that hard work a few months ago. With the support of thousands of coffee drinkers and more than 763 cafes we were able to raise a record $215,500 back on 4th August. Our generous Sponsors sponsored, Roasters donated beans, baristas brewed, and thousands of people came together to raise funds and take action against homelessness.
The Grenet Foundation and the Australian Communities Foundation kicked in an additional $70,000 in matched funding through our ‘Collective’ – bringing our CafeSmart total to $285,500 for local homelessness projects.
We have been able to support 156 organisations across Australia, including 46 new organisations and 12 Lead Grant projects. A massive thank you to everyone who got involved and made these grants possible – here is where your dollars are headed….
Lead Grant Projects
With public funding uncertainty many important organisations find it hard to test good ideas, extend proven programs, or fully fund priorities. We have selected a number of ‘Lead Grants’ which have received larger grants and through The StreetSmart Collective and philanthropic matched giving we were able to scale these projects to multiply their impact.
Our First National Lead Grant:
Registry Weeks mobilise people and resources at the local level to understand and respond to individuals experiencing street homelessness in their community with the aim to end street homelessness. Working closely with Australian Alliance to End Homelessness, Mercy Foundation and Micah Projects we are funding more Registry Weeks across Australia to enable more local communities to end street homelessness Find out more about Registry Weeks here https://www.mercyfoundation.com.au/our-focus/ending-homelessness-2/registry-weeks/
A Look at some State Based Projects…
ACT: $1250 for food rescue organisation OzHarvest to improve their capacity and storage.
NSW: $2250 for Make a Difference to help establish and run an Orange Sky Laundry Van in Port Macquarie.
NT: $1250 for The Schools Project to support kids in crisis accommodation to attend school and their after school activities.
QLD: $1250 for West End Community House to provide a free Community Breakfast to people in their neighbourhood
SA: $1250 for Heart and Soul, a volunteer led food assistance program in Adelaide to purchase an industrial bread slicer.
TAS: $1250 for Tassie Mums, a volunteer led organisation providing support to families in crisis through repurposing kids clothes and equipment.
VIC: $1500 for NDCH and Mallee Family Care to support people into housing with New Tenant Packs.
WA: $2,000 for South West Community Legal Centre to support their Homeless Legal Pop Up and Outreach service in regional areas south of Perth.
And here is a wonderful word of thanks from one of our new projects, Camera Story in WA. Working with Youth Futures, Camera Story provide young people experiencing homelessness with a creative outlet to tell their stories and build self confidence.
“Camera Story would love to thank StreetSmart for their decision to award our small but dedicated team this generous grant. Camera Story cannot wait to utilise the grant money to purchase equipment. We intend to place these resources in the hands of the young people we work with, and watch them grow in confidence and capacity through the power of positive photography. We couldn’t have done it without you” Cheers, Jacqueline Warrick & Sarah Landro, Co-founders.
Here’s the State breakdown – reflecting the funds raised in each State
| Lead Projects | Total Projects | Project Funding | |
|---|---|---|---|
| VIC | 6 | 51 | $122,750 |
| NSW | 5 | 51 | $92,000 |
| QLD | 1 | 22 | $33,500 |
| WA | 16 | $19,000 | |
| SA | 9 | $9,000 | |
| TAS | 2 | $2,500 | |
| NT | 4 | $5,500 | |
| ACT | 1 | $1,250 | |
| 12 | 156 | $285,500 |
For full lists of Grants made for each state:
ACT Grants | NSW Grants | NT Grants | QLD Grants | SA Grants | TAS Grants | VIC Grants | WA Grants
Here’s what some of the grant recipients said…
“Yet again StreetSmart have generously supported the Margaret River Soup Kitchen run by the Margaret River Community Centre through the CafeSmart grant. Your support is an invaluable addition to the soup kitchen that provides healthy meals twice a week to people experiencing homelessness and in need and will this year assist us in preparing some caravans for interim housing. Thankyou!”
“Tassie Mums loves Street Smart’s support without it we wouldn’t be in a position to continue to provide babies and children of Tasmania with clothing, toys and nappies, including those experiencing homelessness. Thank you Street Smart for your support, it is very much appreciated.”
“Albany Youth Support Association would like to thank Street Smart for supporting our self-funded kitchen Garden program, Our application process was very straight forward and we appreciated being approached by Street Smart who have identified the work we do in complex homelessness is worth getting behind with a small grant. Small grants help little things grow into big things.”
