From August 10-16, more than 700 cafes across the country will mark Australian Homelessness Week by taking part in StreetSmart’s annual CafeSmart campaign to help raise much needed funds and awareness for small grassroots homelessness organisations.
CafeSmart, the highly anticipated annual event by StreetSmart Australia, leverages the social nature of coffee to unite the Australian coffee industry and empower collective action against homelessness at a local level.
The concept is simple - buy a coffee from a participating venue on Friday, August 16 and $1 from each purchase will go towards supporting people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. There's no easier way to make a positive impact than stopping by your local cafe for your morning caffeine fix.
With this simple act, you contribute directly to addressing homelessness in your community. StreetSmart is also encouraging Australians to step up and, where possible, pay the cost of a coffee forward online to help amplify the impact of this year’s event.
With rates of rough sleeping on the rise, an act like this has a big impact. Sleeping rough on the streets, in cars or tents is increasingly the only option left for thousands of people in Australia - 7636 people will be facing that option tonight. Families are sleeping in damp tents and people are spending years living on streets. Rough sleeping is dangerous, traumatic and often life-threatening - but it is also solvable.
Funds raised will provide immediate and impactful assistance, local to regions where the funds are raised, including hot meals, safe shelter, clothing, health support, social connection and much more for those experiencing the harshest realities of homelessness.
"From corporate cafes in Sydney's CBD to coffee vans in regional Victoria and drive-throughs in Perth, each venue uniquely contributes to CafeSmart’s goal of ending homelessness,” says Liz Bayrak, Campaign and Events Coordinator at StreetSmart.
"One of our community partners has reported a 50% increase in demand for essential food relief services. So, the participation of these cafes is more vital than ever, helping us to meet the growing need for support.”
The 2023 edition of CafeSmart raised and distributed $147,585 across 133 frontline organisations, thanks to the collective efforts of 717 participating cafes and thousands of socially aware coffee lovers and supporters.
As the affordability of safe housing plummets and rates of rough sleeping rise, this kind of social impact is needed more than ever. CafeSmart will create localised impact on a national scale, helping make a difference even in the most remote corners of our country and in communities where the need is increasing.
"Darwin has the highest rate of homelessness of any city in Australia, with an estimated two to three thousand people living rough at any one time. The Darwin mobile laundry and shower service provides free laundry, showers and non-judgemental conversation to people doing it tough throughout the Darwin region” says Orange Sky (Darwin), CafeSmart Grant Recipient.
Make your coffee count this August. Support your local cafes and consider paying a coffee forward to help end homelessness. For more information, to find your nearest participating venue, or to make a donation, visit: https://streetsmartaustralia.org/cafesmart/.
