Melbourne: ‘Five Loaves Program’ and Homelessness Week Australia, 1 – 7 August 2022
Across Australia house prices and rents are skyrocketing, pushing more people into housing stress. Rents in Australia have increased by 9.1 per cent in capital cities and 10.8 per cent in regional areas in the past 12 months.
Social housing in Australia has shrunk from 4.8 per cent of all homes in 2011 to 4.2 percent in 2021. Our shrinking proportion of social housing means there is nowhere to go for families pushed out of the rental market.
In 2020-21, 114,000 people seeking homelessness services had to be turned away because of a lack of resources. That’s 20 per cent more than the year before.
Homelessness is not “rooflessness”. Only 7 percent of people without a home are sleeping rough. The majority of homelessness is hidden – people in crisis accommodation, rooming houses, insecure housing, overcrowded dwellings or couch surfing.
With the blessing of His Eminence Archbishop Markarios, and the guidance of His Grace Bishop Kyriakos of Sozopolis, the Five Loaves Program is in the process of expanding their service to areas meeting the specific needs of each community.
Today’s meal comprised of roast chicken with Greek briami and hardy lentil vegetable soup, freshly baked orange cake, fruit and snacks. This evening’s visit to the Queen Victorian Market was evidence of the crisis facing today’s homelessness. We arrived at 6pm to a very hungry crowd. An organised que formed before we were even out of the car. Some of the homeless began to assist us by taking out our boxed meals, soup pots, fruit and snacks. Concerned that we were weren’t going to have enough food for the massive que in front of us – Glory to God, the last cup of soup went out to the very last person – no one missed out! In less than 10 minuets we served over 50 meals.
Does your company want to get involved with the Five Loaves Program to make a difference to those who need it most in our community? Consider partnering with us, support is needed to help us continue to assist those less fortunate than ourselves.
Please contact Christina Nicola at: [email protected]
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