Red Shield Appeal Doorknock

Thousands of volunteers will knock on doors all over Australia as part of The Salvation Army’s Red Shield Appeal doorknock this weekend.

Volunteers will also collect donations at major intersections, shopping centres and train stations.

The national fundraising target for the weekend is $9.5 million – part of an overall Red Shield Appeal target of $74 million.

All donations are immediately returned to the community through Salvation Army services and programs across Australia.

This year the Red Shield Appeal is focusing on homelessness and we’re asking the community to help end homelessness now through making a donation or collecting donations over this weekend.

Currently there are more than 105,000 people in Australia who don’t have a secure and safe place to live.

Each week The Salvation Army provides accommodation for around 2,000 people each week and support for thousands of people at extreme risk of becoming homeless.

The Salvos recently surveyed 2,406 of its emergency relief clients and found that housing affordability and homelessness is a significant issue for many people on a daily basis.

The survey reveals:

• 13% of respondents had no stable accommodation
• Respondents paid 59% of their income on accommodation expenses
• Respondents had $125 per week to live on after accommodation expenses were paid ($17.86 per day)
• Across all households, recipients of Newstart allowance had the least money to live on after accommodation expenses were paid
• Respondents who were homeless experienced high levels of social exclusion (74%), poor social connectedness (46%) and poor social support (60%).

We know that the hardship of many homeless people is preventable with your help.

If you miss the Red Shield Appeal collectors this weekend you can still donate by:
 
Calling 13 SALVOS (13 72 58), clicking here to donate online, or donate in person at any Westpac Bank branch or by posting your cheque to PO Box 9888 in your capital city.