Reflecting on Homelessness Week 2024: United for Care's Involvement & Impact

Homelessness Australia organises Homelessness Week each year to boost community support and secure government commitment to ending homelessness throughout the country.

This year’s event ran from August 5 to 11, 2024 with the theme of “Homelessness Action Now”, underlining the urgent need to tackle a critical issue affecting 122,494 Australians.  

Throughout the week, various homelessness services and community groups came together to raise awareness, advocate for change, and showcase effective solutions through national and local events, media campaigns, and social media outreach.

This year, United for Care has made significant strides in supporting Homelessness Week by welcoming Members of Parliament (MPs) and their teams into our Sydney Vertical Villages. These visits gave MPs first-hand experience of an effective care model and a chance to meet some of the inspirational people living with United for Care.

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United for Care Opens its Doors to MPs

The Vertical Village visits took place at our Guildford, Erskineville, Randwick, Petersham, and Warwick Farm sites. We hosted morning teas where MPs could mingle with people living in the sites and held open discussions about our services' role in addressing homelessness.  

More specifically, it gave United for Care a chance to highlight the unique challenges of supporting people who are experiencing homelessness whilst living with a disability. According to the latest data, 9.5% of the people receiving support from the Australian Government’s Specialist Homelessness Service are also managing life with a disability.

United for Care gives some of the most vulnerable people in our society the safe, supportive and stable space needed to rebuild their lives. By opening our doors to MPs and allowing them to experience this environment, we effectively illustrated how a carefully designed care model can address the multifaceted challenges faced by those in need.

A Week Focused on Ending Homelessness

Homelessness week was also an opportunity to look to the future and plan more robust long-term solutions. United for Care’s Community Engagement Lead Kerri-Ann Clarke says efforts to solve homelessness will have to be two-fold, with “Immediate actions to support people who are already homeless and facing enormous challenges each day”, as well as “the broader systemic changes needed to make a lasting impact.”

Kerri-Anne believes raising awareness has a crucial role to play in ending homelessness for good. She says, “When people are more informed about the root causes of homelessness, such as the cost-of-living crisis, mental health pressures, and systemic flaws, they are more likely to support effective solutions.”

As Kerri-Anne suggests, increased awareness can drive policy changes, enhance funding for social services, and encourage volunteer efforts, creating a more comprehensive approach to preventing homelessness. This is why the awareness initiatives that Homelessness Week brings about are so crucial.  

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Food Drive: A Community Effort to Make a Difference

As Homelessness Week ended, United for Care continued its commitment through a heartfelt food drive held in collaboration with Liverpool and Fairfield Temporary Accommodation team.  

United for Care’s Kelsey Macready recently delivered 30 bags of essential items to Liverpool City Council, contributing significantly to the local effort to support the homeless community.  

Donations included food, personal care items, chocolates, tea, coffee, and even hand-knitted blankets, demonstrating our dedication to addressing both the immediate needs and comfort of those living without a roof over their heads.  

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Looking Forward: Continued Advocacy & Support

Homelessness Week 2024 has been a testament to the power of community involvement and advocacy. United for Care’s active involvement, from engaging with MPs to organising food drives, has demonstrated our commitment to such a worthy cause.  

As we move forward, it’s essential to build on this momentum, continue to raise awareness, and support initiatives that address both immediate needs and long-term solutions.

We encourage everyone to stay engaged and support efforts that work towards putting an end to homelessness throughout Australia. You can stay up to date with United for Care’s journey, as we push to offer more support to people living with homelessness and disability, by following our social media channels:

• LinkedIn

• Instagram

• Facebook  

For more information about United for Care’s mission or to get all your NDIS questions answered by the experts, speak to a friendly member of our team today:  

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