Delivering hampers and hope this Christmas with Mission Australia

Find out how corporate partners like Coates help Mission Australia to improve the lives of disadvantaged Australians each Christmas

The festive season is a time for celebrating with family, friends and communities, but sadly that’s not the reality for everyone in Australia. Housing insecurity continues to affect many people and communities across the country:

Every hour in Australia, 3,000 people seek help from homelessness services¹
1 in 7 people experiencing homelessness are children under the age of 12²
The majority of homelessness in Australia is hidden, with people living in crisis accommodation, severely overcrowded dwellings, boarding houses or moving between family and friends.³

Mission Australia CEO, Sharon Callister, believes the situation is critical. “Without a doubt, Australia’s homelessness crisis has now escalated to an emergency,” she says.

“This year in particular, we’ve seen really quite bleak circumstances which have pushed more people into homelessness and financial distress,” says Sharon. “There’s not nearly enough social and affordable housing; we’ve had really tough economic times causing living and rental costs to rise; and people are going through challenges like domestic and family violence, mental health concerns and natural disasters.”

“Far too many people have to make hard choices – between putting food on the table, paying the power bill or paying the rent,” Sharon continues. “We also know that at Christmas time, financial and other pressures can increase, and we anticipate this will again be the case this year given the massive trials faced by people in 2023.”

As the housing and economic climate worsens, pressure mounts on specialist homelessness services (SHS) providers, like Mission Australia, to respond.

“This year our staff have told us the housing situation is the worst they’ve ever seen it. People who have never been homeless are struggling to make ends meet and find a safe, secure home – and they’re asking us for help,” says Sharon. “Our frontline staff have seen a flood of people seeking support from our homelessness and housing services, with demand increasing by 26% over the past three years.”

Making a difference this festive season

This Christmas, the Coates Foundation is again teaming up with Mission Australia, one of its national charity partners, to raise awareness around housing insecurity and provide much-needed relief for the rising number of individuals and families currently experiencing hardship and homelessness.

This will be the third year that Coates and its employees have supported Mission Australia by donating food staples and festive treats, and delivering the hampers to Mission Australia sites across the country to be distributed to those in need.

Delivering hampers donated by team members from Coates' Mascot office to Mission Australia.

Delivering hampers donated by team members from Coates' Mascot office to Mission Australia.

“Christmas can be an extremely hard time for those in need, especially for the families who are struggling,” says Maria Pino, Sales Administrator at Coates’ Dandenong branch. “Being able to provide some support and assistance really brings to light the true meaning of Christmas. As a team member this is a great way to give back and help those in need, and it’s important to do this in any way that we can.”

Trinity Trezise, Business Development Manager at Coates, also observes how deeply Mission Australia’s cause resonates with Coates’ employees. “As a staff member, the Christmas Appeal is an important opportunity to contribute personally, and to hopefully make this time of year a little better for some of the families that need our support,” says Trinity.

Living Coates’ values and partnering for change

Caring deeply is a core value at Coates and guides all engagements internally, with customers, partners, shareholders and the wider community. Supporting initiatives like Mission Australia’s Christmas Appeal creates important opportunities for Coates and its employees to embrace these values and give back.

“The holiday season can bring added stress for those who already struggle to meet their basic needs,” says Elise Manns, Executive General Manager for People & Safety at Coates. “Christmas is a time for family to come together, and our partnership with Mission Australia provides an opportunity for Coates employees to care deeply for our local communities and give back to those who need assistance.”

You can help end homelessness this Christmas by donating to the Mission Australia appeal.

You can help end homelessness this Christmas by donating to the Mission Australia appeal.

For Mission Australia, partnering with organisations like Coates helps the organisation to grow its reach and impact, enhancing the charity’s ability to positively impact disadvantaged Australians.

“Corporate partnerships are so important to our charity because they provide increased financial support, access to expertise and resources, further reach and brand awareness through corporate networks as well as innovative opportunities like impactful joint initiatives,” says Sharon.

“Partnerships are also crucial to our charity’s long-term sustainability and ensure we can continue providing support to people at their time of need, now and into the future. We are grateful to every partner for all they do to support Mission Australia and the people we serve.”

Keen to make a difference this Christmas? Dig deep for Mission Australia’s Christmas Appeal, or learn more about supporting the charity’s important work year-round.