Nothing warms my heart more than seeing more and more agents becoming involved and giving back to the communities that support them. And we should all start looking at how we can contribute.
I believe that it is our responsibility as professionals working in the housing sector to give back to those experiencing homelessness. We are always thinking about who we can rent or sell a house too but what about those who don't have homes?
In 2019, I’ve partnered with the amazing team at Orange Sky to help raise much needed funds for those people experiencing homelessness and I'm excited to announce that they are this years charity partner for the Business Breakfast Series!
If you haven’t heard about Orange Sky yet, then be prepared to be blown away by what they do.
The 2016 census found that 116,000 Australians are experiencing homelessness. That’s one in 200 people. Scarily, the fastest growing sector is women.
Nearly all of us can relate to being tight with money at one point in our lives.
Homelessness can happen rapidly, going from cash strapped and suddenly hit with unexpected bills, a medical expense or even a breakdown of a relationship.
Of the Australians experiencing homelessness, five percent are ‘sleeping rough’ and 95 percent are staying in shelters, boarding houses, temporary accommodation or severely crowded homes.
Orange Sky provides mobile laundry and shower services throughout Australia. For those sleeping rough or in temporary accommodation, some days it may have to be a choice between a meal and showering or doing laundry.
But Orange Sky is so MUCH more than that.
The laundry and shower service is a platform for people to connect. The focus is on creating a safe, positive and supportive environment for people who are too often ignored or who feel disconnected from the community. The Orange Sky volunteers are not social workers or experts on homelessness - they are empathetic listeners and great conversationalists.
For those that experience loneliness and isolation from being homeless, you never know how a simple conversation might impact a person's life.
Orange Sky has 29 vehicles in 25 locations, operating over 255 shifts every week around Australia. To date, we've provided 108,312 loads of washing, 9,749 warm showers and most importantly, 173,733 hours of genuine and non-judgemental conversation.
If you’d like to contribute and help Orange Sky continue their amazing work, you can make a donation here: https://fundraise.orangesky.org.au/ssbbs
Otherwise, you can always donate on the day when you attend the Business Breakfast Series in Brisbane, Melbourne, Sydney or Adelaide.