Helping people start again.
Everyone deserves the security of a safe place to call home.
Yet every day, Lutheran Care meets people who are one unexpected bill, one family crisis or one rent increase away from homelessness.
For many, it doesn’t take much. A missed rent payment. A broken fridge. Damage to rental property. A bond they can’t afford. Medication. A child’s bed. Or choosing between paying an electricity bill and buying groceries.
These everyday challenges can be the difference between keeping a home and losing one. But there’s another side to homelessness that is often overlooked. Receiving the keys to a house isn’t the end of the journey. It’s the beginning of rebuilding a life.
Many people moving out of homelessness, emergency accommodation or family violence leave with little more than a few bags of belongings. They don’t have a bed to sleep on, a fridge to store food, a kettle or a table where children can eat dinner or do their homework. A house isn’t a home. Without the essentials most of us take for granted, establishing a tenancy becomes much harder and the risk of returning to homelessness increases.
That’s why Lutheran Care has launched the Path Out of Homelessness Drive: a community initiative built around two simple goals:
- Keep people housed by preventing the loss of their home through practical support.
- Help people start again by turning an empty house into a home.
The campaign follows the loss of almost $40,000 in annual flexible funding previously provided by a philanthropic organisation. While Lutheran Care is grateful for that support, changing funding priorities have left a gap in the organisation’s ability to provide individualised practical assistance that keeps people housed.
While it represented only a small part of what was needed, it enabled frontline staff to respond to individual needs when people were at risk of losing their housing or needed help establishing a new home.
Last financial year alone, this funding helped around 45 households with practical support including rent arrears, bond assistance, beds, furniture, whitegoods, urgent property repairs and rubbish removal; support that helped people establish or maintain being housed and avoid homelessness.
As lead agency of the Toward Home Alliance, Lutheran Care supports more than 2,500 people seeking homelessness assistance each year across metropolitan Adelaide and the Adelaide Hills. The organisation also leads the Divert program, helping around 1,200 people annually to support people who are experiencing, or at risk of homelessness for the first time. Demand continues to grow. Chief Executive Officer Ian Byrne said these figures show more South Australians are living on the edge of homelessness and housing stress doesn’t end once someone receives housing.
“Homelessness rarely happens overnight,” Mr Byrne said.
“Most people experience a series of setbacks before they lose their home. Often, practical support such as paying rent arrears, repairing damage to a rental property or replacing a broken fridge, can stop a housing crisis before it becomes homelessness.
“And receiving housing is a milestone. But our work doesn’t stop once someone receives the keys.
“Many people leave homelessness with almost nothing. Helping them furnish a home with the essentials they need isn’t just about comfort, it’s about giving them the best chance of building stability and sustaining their tenancy.”
Lutheran Care is inviting businesses, philanthropic organisations, community groups and individuals to help grow a dedicated homelessness prevention fund that supports people at two critical moments: before they lose their home and as they rebuild after homelessness.
Already, organisations are stepping forward. As part of a new partnership struck with State Opera South Australia in their Golden Jubilee Year, $10 from every ticket sold for selected performances of Hansel & Gretel from 21-29 August. Lutheran Care will direct these funds to the Path Out of Homelessness Drive, helping more South Australians remain safely housed and helping others establish a home after homelessness.
Whether through corporate partnerships, workplace giving, fundraising initiatives, philanthropic investment or individual donations, every contribution creates practical change.
A bond payment can prevent an eviction. A bed can help a child sleep safely. A fridge can turn an empty house into a home.
Together, we can keep more people housed, help more families start again, and create lasting pathways out of homelessness.
Interested in becoming a Path Out of Homelessness partner?
If your business, organisation or foundation would like to help create lasting housing stability for South Australians, we’d love to hear from you.
Contact Katrina Ranford, Head of Brand, Communications and Partnerships, to discuss partnership opportunities or make a donation.
Phone: 0420 786 782
Email: kranford@lutherancare.org.au