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All donations of $2 or more are tax deductible

If you would prefer to donate via Bank Transfer click here for details

Back to School

Imagine having to flee domestic violence with your children, in just the clothes you are standing in and nothing else. Amongst this trauma you have school aged children who need to keep their routines and friendship groups and attending school can really help. But you don’t have any possessions, no school uniforms, no bags, no school shoes, nothing.

January and February are a surprisingly busy time of year for many of the organisations we work with, as parents and carers seek help for their children’s education.

The new school year can be a stressful and anxious time for low-income families experiencing financial hardship. With children starting back at school, and young people trying to stay engaged in education and training, the costs really add up. No parent wants their child to miss out. However the reality is that one in six Australian children are living in poverty, which is equivalent to 1.1 million young Australians under the age of 24 who are living below the poverty line. Poverty results in a significant number of young Australians finding it difficult to engage with formal education; leaving school early and contributing to intergenerational poverty.

There is also a deepening ‘digital divide’ in Australia, compounding the challenges for students whose families can’t afford the technology they need for school. This has been magnified during the pandemic with long periods of remote and altered on-site learning. The charities we work with have noticed a trend of school disengagement amongst the children of families they work with.

Our clients have been severely impacted by the pandemic, many of whom were employed casually and have lost their jobs and hours of work. This has, in turn, impacted their children attending our homework club who are not able to obtain the materials they need for their studies. This has impacted their learning outcomes and created additional stressors in the family environment. Many families are also living in cramped conditions in noisy environments, making online learning extra challenging. This funding will allow us to change the lives of a number of the families we work with.

Jesse Boyd, Southern Migrant and Refugee Centre

Many of the people we work with do not have permanent residency status, so cannot obtain government support payments. The required list of books and e-books for secondary school students are incredibly expensive and while some schools and support agencies can subsidise these costs, it is much harder to fund the cost of IT. This timely grant will allow children in our service to have access to up to date IT despite the barriers of their parent's financial situation and their current living arrangements.

Lia Henry, Refuge Victoria Inc

Check out the previous projects we have supported

Corporate and Workplace Giving

You can choose to nominate StreetSmart Australia as your charity of choice for workplace giving. Every month your donations will help support a range of important projects providing care and aid to vulernable people experiencing homelessness.

Contact us via email for more information

“Our business has been supporting StreetSmart through workplace giving since 2015. Each month our team helps fund a new project and we get immediate feedback on how the money has been spent. We are really proud to be a part of such an important initiative, and our staff are too,” Justine Butler, ASIC in the Community Manager

To Donate by Direct Bank Transfer:

Please send us an email of your donation, including donation amount, date, and donor name. We will send a tax deductible receipt to you.

Account name: StreetSmart Australia
Bank: NAB
BSB: 083-004
Acc Number: 17243-2803

Donations made to StreetSmart Australia over $2 are tax deductible. StreetSmart Australia (ABN: 51 106 387 446) is endorsed by the Australian Tax Office as a deductible gift recipient under the Income Tax Assessment Act 1997. StreetSmart Australia is registered with the Australian Charities and Not for profit Commission (ACNC).