Dine out… Help out

| November 12, 2013

For the next six weeks leading up to Christmas, StreetSmart is partnering with restaurants to ask diners for a small donation. Adam Robinson set up the not-for-profit organisation to support local grassroots homeless projects.

This week sees the start of our 11th DineSmart campaign. The reason StreetSmart Australia exists at all is that 11 years ago I came across StreetSmart in the UK and decided to set up a similar organisation here. At the time I was working at a small youth service in the outer suburbs of Melbourne trying to find ways to fund our work and engage the community. It was a tough gig.

Government funding only covers basic services, leaving smaller services without the resources they need to help people in crisis improve their life situation. In many cases Government doesn’t fund smaller services at all. However, smaller services find it hard to find sponsors or have the skills to gain grants from funding organisations. I was also struck by the fact that where many people presume, often subconsciously, that homelessness is somehow caused by careless decision making, in the overwhelming majority of cases it’s the end result of a complex series of issues or events, often illnesses, accidents and abuses suffered by the affected individual.

I thought the StreetSmart UK concept, asking diners to add on a small micro donation to their restaurant bill, was a brilliantly simple idea to help fund local grassroots homeless projects. In 2003 we piloted the idea in Melbourne, with a very positive response from restaurant owners and diners, raising $16,000. Fast forward, and 10 years later we have raised $2.55 million. These funds have gone to support 724 projects at 330 organisations. But why is this funding important? Is it worth all the effort? Of course it is.

The reality is that homelessness is real for around 250,000 people who access services in Australia each year. Small homeless services (such as Women’s and Youth refuges, Neighbourhood Centres etc) really struggle to fundraise. They just don’t have many volunteers, sponsors, ambassadors or the skills and resources, yet they need funds. That’s where we step in and help out. In 2013 we have funded 185 projects through our fundraising initiatives DineSmart and CafeSmart. It may be funding very basic needs such as new mattresses, linen, clothes, cots, toys or school materials, or it could be legal advice, education, therapy or living skills.

100% of donations from the public raised through DineSmart and CafeSmart (a new event set up in 2011) are directed to local services close to the cafes and restaurants raising the funds. We believe in keeping it local whenever possible. This helps to strengthen community services, raising awareness for the issues of homelessness and local responses.

To get involved and support our work we are asking you to ‘Dine Out… Help Out’ this Christmas. Check out the list of participating restaurants here.

If you aren’t close to a restaurant or just wish to help out, then hop online and donate.

Join our community and conversation here on Facebook or on Twitter @streetsmartaust

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