Tonight, there are 21,000 Queenslanders without a permanent, safe place to sleep, including 4,500 children.
Olivia was one of them. She and father Darren spent months going from a couch to floor, relying on the kindness of friends, looking for somewhere safe to stay. Darren called on every favour he could to make sure Olivia wasn’t sleeping on the street.
“I ask my Dad every night, where am I going to sleep."
You can just imagine how scared this little girl must have felt, fleeing from place to place, every day asking her dad where they were going to sleep.
“My little girl was worried every day. She’d ask me where we were going, what we were going to eat, where would we stay,” Darren said.
“I’d cry myself to sleep not being able to give her what she needed.”
Sadly, stories like Darren and Olivia’s are all too common in Queensland today. Our state is in the grips of an affordable housing crisis. We have some of the lowest rates of social housing in the country – and the highest rates of rental stress.
Without urgent support, more and more people like Darren and Olivia will end up sleeping in situations that put them at risk.
“My little girl was worried every day. She used to ask where we were going, what we were going to eat, where would we stay. I know it was affecting her.”
- Darren, Olivia’s dad
You can help rescue children from homelessness
Intervening early to prevent homelessness
Families like Darren’s are often forced to choose between paying a utility bill, buying petrol, or meeting their rent. You can help can provide food hampers and cover the cost of an unexpected bill.
Providing accommodation as quickly as possible
Your support can help provide transitional accommodation, where families are supported through long-term programs and services to address the challenges that may have contributed to their situation.
Supporting people to maintain stable housing
Queensland's shortage of housing means it can be almost impossible for people like Darren to secure and maintain a roof over their heads - but your donation will allow us to support families to stay in their homes.
You can help end the pain of poverty.
Please make your tax-deductible donation by June 30.
Your donation today will help many children like Olivia, and their families. Your gift will put food on the table and ease their hunger. It will pay for an unexpected utility bill to ensure the lights stay on. And it can even help cover their rent, ensuring they have a roof over their heads tonight.
By supporting Vinnies today, you can help ensure that families like Darren and Olivia have a lifeline during their darkest hour.
“It wasn't until I was talking with Vinnies that I started to get some of the faith back again. Seeing that there are people that could help me, and give me the right tools to work forward,” said Darren.
And your donation will help with so some much more: it will provide the most fundamental of all necessities to a child like Olivia – a sense of safety.
