Who We Help

Our aim is to help people who have slipped through the cracks, including the homeless, people with mental illness and/or disabilities, the elderly and anyone requiring support.

Homelessness Facts

There are more than a hundred thousand people who are homeless in Australia, and about 23,000 of them in Victoria – living on the street, in tents, crisis accommodation, temporary and severely overcrowded lodgings. The lack of stability in their lives exacerbates mental and physical health as well as substance abuse problems, leading to an ever diminishing quality of life.

Reasons for homelessness

The main reasons for homelessness are domestic family violence, followed by financial difficulties and accommodation issues: lack of affordable rental; housing affordability; stringent home loan/lending standards, and housing values; The bulk of the homeless are aged between 19-34, followed by the under 12 age group. Help support us in taking the first step to solving homelessness here!

Stories from the street

The term ‘homeless’ does not refer to just those ‘sleeping rough’ in parks and gardens. Those living in rooming houses and bedsits, although under roofs, are equally – if not more – lacking connections, and inclusion.

Everyone deserves to have a safe and constant place to live. Help support us in taking the first step to solving homelessness here!

Adrian - Adrian can be found most days a week at the St. Mary’s House of Welcome on Brunswick street, as he enjoys helping those who are less fortunate than himself, without a place to call their… Read more
Leo - More than anything else, Leo is just tired. He has been in and out of hospitals for the majority of the last few years on the street, on one visit catching golden staph, which did… Read more
Kenny - Kenny has been giving his time to those less fortunate for longer than anyone can remember. Aside from the warm fuzzies one gets from helping out, Kenny’s favourite perk about helping out at St. Mary’s… Read more
Tuan - Tuan does a lot of travelling in his day to day, and likes making use of the art room that St Marys House of Welcome provide as part of their community support service for the… Read more