On Christmas night 105,000 Australians will be homeless, 12,000 of them are children.

As many Australians are looking forward to celebrating Christmas with their family and friends there are too many without a home that will be spending Christmas day like any other, alone.

For around 105,000 Australians who do not have a permanent place to live there is no time to rejoice, just getting by is hard enough. Sadly, the festive season can also be an unpleasant reminder that families cannot celebrate Christmas the way they would like and for those with no family or friends to share the occasion with, there is only a cold loneliness waiting in the New Year.

A report released earlier this year revealed that there is almost 22,000 people aged 12 to 18 who do not have a safe and permanent place to sleep. The Salvation Army works with more than 12,000 young people each year aged from 12 to 24 years, and we accommodate more than 1,000 each night in our housing programmes. The young people we work with have experienced hardship, neglect, abuse and trauma. Some of these young people have been abandoned by their parents, fled domestic violence situations or have been asked to leave the family home. It is disturbing to think that at this time of year when we cherish our time spent with our families and pray for the safety of our loved ones that so many young people are living in dangerous and unsafe conditions.

With little means of supporting themselves and no place to go, these people are forced to engage in dangerous and often illegal activities just to get by. This recent research compared to research completed 20 years ago shows the problem of youth homelessness has got significantly worse in fact, it has doubled. Your support means The Salvation Army can continue to work actively with homeless and at risk individuals, ensuring that they have someone to turn to.

Most young people have dreams, opportunities to be educated and an ability to be employed. For youth experiencing homelessness the need to survive is the only priority. The need to find shelter, food and warmth is so demanding there isn’t time to dream of a better life, all they have is the reality of life as it is now.

Many individuals, sporting teams, community groups, schools, church groups and families share our concern and compassion for people in need. Throughout the year through different initiatives, activities and joining in our fundraising efforts they make a real difference in the lives of others. Standing beside us these people are a crucial part of offering marginalised members of our community hope and a chance to change their lives.

The Salvation Army works hard every day to offer young people a chance to capture their dreams and make them reality. In Salvation Army Crisis Centres across Australia our workers are providing the support, stability and basic survival needs so that young people have time to dream. Beyond the day-to-day the Salvos provide disadvantaged members of our community with the chance to transform their lives. With your support we hope that 2009 is brighter for the many thousands of Australians in need.

Message from Neil

Greetings,

The end of 2008 is fast approaching and all our family support services are preparing for the busiest time of the year. Over 300,000 people came to The Salvation Army during the Christmas and New Year period across Australia last year and we know that there will be many thousands of people who are in need this year too. For some a food parcel or a food voucher will be enough to ease the pressure of the festive season with many other expenses making life tough. However, for many other people both young and old, the need is much greater. Many thousands of Australians will be spending their Christmas and New Year trying to find shelter on the city streets, alone and miserable with no place to go.

The Salvation Army will be celebrating Christmas with the marginalised members of our community, serving many hundreds Christmas dinner, offering cheer and a friendly face and a listening ear. With your help the people who feel they have no reason to celebrate and have nowhere to go will have somewhere to enjoy a good meal and share the special occasion with others.

We also know from experience that after Christmas so many families will be finding it hard to get by. Preparing children for returning to school can be expensive with uniforms, books, fees and other necessities the family budget can be stretched to breaking point. Our centres will see hundreds of families
in this position and desperate for help. The Christmas and New Year period is the busiest time of year for our family support services, our centres will be operating at capacity with our teams there endeavouring to assist each individual who comes through the door for help.

As the cost of housing and other living expenses continue to rise we know that more and more people will be coming to The Salvation Army for assistance. We are committed to standing beside those in need and supporting them through whatever crisis they are experiencing. However we could not do this without your support.

During the festive season we can become so busy planning our celebrations and holidays that we lose sight of the real meaning of Christmas. It is important that we remember the birth of Christ, a baby born into poverty without a home. His birth brings hope and likewise we endeavour to extend physical, emotional and spiritual hope to others. It is the birth of Jesus that we commemorate when we celebrate Christmas and it is timely to remember the children, like Jesus, in our own community, that are living in poverty without a home.

Thank you for helping us make the lives of others brighter and for giving those facing crisis hope. On behalf of The Salvation Army I would like to take this opportunity to thank you for your continued support. With your support we can continue to provide those in need.

May God bless you and your family over Christmas and New Year Season.

Neil Venables (Major)
Territorial Public Relations Secretary
Australia Southern Territory

But the angel said, “Don’t be afraid! I have good news for you, which will make everyone happy. This very day in King David’s hometown a Savior was born for you. He is Christ the Lord.” Luke 2, 10-11 CEV

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Case Studies

Jenny
Jenny and her 8-year-old daughter were homeless for over six months until finding hope at a Salvation Army Community Support Centre. Often Jenny found herself unable to get a bed for her and her daughter Tessa, and so as Jenny explains they slept wherever they could.

“We have stayed everywhere and anywhere. Living in motel rooms, caravan parks and with friends where we could. There isn’t a caravan park in this city I wouldn’t know” she said.

Jenny and her daughter are some of the many people caught in the current housing crisis. With the increase in rental costs and other costs of living getting higher and higher many Australians find themselves squeezed out of stable accommodation.

“Sometimes I would just cry, especially on those nights where we had nowhere to go” she said in reflection of this emotional time in her life.

After driving past a Salvation Army Community Support Centre she felt drawn to go inside. Once she had met the team there a whole new world of hope opened up for her.

With help to find private rental accommodation, food vouchers, furniture for the house and vital emotional support, Jenny was able to turn her life around.

Now studying at university, Jenny has new hope. “I can’t thank the Salvos enough, they brought me new hope and helped me start a new life with my daughter in our new home” said Jenny.

Jenny and her daughter will spend this Christmas in their own home with a brighter year ahead.

Louise
For Louise celebrating Christmas was the last thing on her mind when she packed up her family and fled her home where she was a victim of domestic violence.

Grabbing only some clothes before leaving the house, Louise and her two young children found refuge at a Salvos domestic violence centre. From here she was assisted to find permanent accommodation where she and her children could be safe.

Moving into the new house just before Christmas Louise had no way of buying presents for her children or providing a traditional Christmas dinner. Having moved away with no support network near home Louise went to The Salvation Army for help.

At her local Salvation Army centre she was able to select some wonderful gifts for her children and on Christmas day she attended the community lunch at the centre. The Salvos also helped with furnishing her new home and helping her rebuild her life.

This Christmas Louise and her children will be at the Salvos centre for Christmas day because they love the warm and welcoming family environment and enjoy having a large group of people around to celebrate with.

The Salvation Army is committed to offering people a chance to transform their life and start fresh with a new beginning. For some people it is the chance to be heard and a little helping hand to get things back on track. Other people may need longer-term support and guidance to make positive changes to their life. Loyal supporters of The Salvation Army are standing beside us as we extend care to thousands of people everyday; our supporters are a critical part of the life transformation process and we are grateful for their ongoing commitment.

Taking the loneliness out of Christmas

For most people Christmas is a time to look forward to, a time when family and friends come together and spend time with loved ones. Sharing a celebratory meal, enjoying seeing children opening gifts and catching up with people that we may only see at Christmas time are some of the pleasures of the festive season.

As is the case each year, this time of year is an enormously busy time for The Salvation Army. We will assist up to 300,000 people throughout Australia by means of toys, food parcels and vouchers. Also, we give thousands of homeless people accommodation and provide hundreds with refuge from abuse.

Salvation Army social centres will provide special Christmas parties for the residents, and up to 8,000 people will sit down to a great Christmas Day lunch with The Salvation Army, somewhere throughout Australia, because they have no other family to share the day with.

For those that are lonely, neglected or have no one to share the special day with The Salvation Army is a place where they can be with other people, enjoy a meal and also feel like they belong.

Many Australians are facing an empty Christmas. This emptiness can come from being away from their family, experiencing financial stress and personal crisis, not having a place to call home or being alone with no one to turn to.

The Salvation Army, with your support, will be there for people facing an empty Christmas and will provide hope that next year can be brighter. With your support thousands of people who are facing a lonely Christmas will have the opportunity to experience some of the joy that the majority of the community will. Having somewhere to go, being able to give a gift to loved ones, enjoying a meal and having someone to talk to are simple pleasures and we are working to ensure that disadvantaged members of our community will not go without this festive season.

Christmas Special Flying Padre in Flight

When you live in remote parts of the Northern Territory and northern parts of Western Australia, isolation is simply a factor of life. The Salvation Army Flying Padre, with support from generous donors, visits nearly 120 remote stations and communities in the Top End, helping to take the loneliness out of rural Australia.

See our Flying Padre in the Northern Territory in action on ABC TV on 25 December at 7.30pm and repeated on ABC2 on 26 December at 6.00pm.