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Order of Malta Australia

News

Coats for the Homeless 2024 distribution in pictures

24/06/2024 


Thank you to everyone who has supported our Coats for the Homeless project this year. Our members and volunteers continue to distribute our specially designed Coats for the Homeless and Care Packs to the homeless across the country.

The homeless we meet are extremely touched by the interactions with our volunteers and are very grateful for the Coats and Care Packs they are gifted with. Sadly, we have seen a significant increase in requests for assistance and some worrying trends emerging.

Homeless data reports that women over 55 are the fastest-growing demographic of homeless people and our volunteers reports anecdotally support this.

Our distribution teams have also seen an increasing number of Australians living in their cars seeking our Coats, as the cost of living and rents continue to soar. Figures from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare shows about 5,400 clients of homelessness services were sleeping in a motor vehicle because they did not have a home – a significant increase on previous years.

Our volunteers have also been approached by an increasing number of residents of low-income households unable to afford heating and seeking a Coat to provide respite from the cold inside their homes.

The Order of Malta, thanks to the generous support of our donors and volunteers, will continue to provide services to the homeless and disadvantaged. In addition to the nationwide Coats for the Homeless distribution, our Community Care Outreach vans in Sydney, Parramatta and Melbourne provide year-round support to rough sleepers. In Bondi, Brisbane and Darwin we provide and support regular food services and “home dining experience” for people in need and our Community Care Centre in Southport, expected to open in late 2024, will provide a variety of services to a wide range of people suffering disadvantage.

The Coats for the Homeless project is funded entirely by donations. Only with your support can we provide help to more people struggling through the winter months. Please consider a donation to support this project.

Gifts $2 and more are tax deductible for Australian taxpayers.

 

View our gallery of images from the 2024 distribution:

The Australian Association

The Australian Association, formed in 1974, currently has in excess of 300 members and aspirant members across every State and Territory of Australia. We also have ongoing and strong links with the Order’s National Associations throughout the Asia Pacific Region including in Singapore and the Philippines and with members of the Order in New Zealand, Hong Kong SAR, Thailand and Korea. The Order of Malta is committed to serving Our Lords the Poor and Sick worldwide and has done so for over 900 years. This website shares with you the history, mission and current activities of the Order of Malta in Australia, and provides links to the work of the Order world-wide.