How your donation helps
The journey from financial security to desperate need was remarkably short for 34-year-old nurse, Petra*. Read Petra’s story, just one example of how your support can make a difference.
*Name and some details changed to protect identity.
The Salvation Army helps more than one million disadvantaged Australians each year without discrimination, including people who are hungry, homeless, abandoned or abused.
The need is growing all the time.
We have many heart-warming stories that owe their success to caring individuals like you. In fact, there are people out there right now whose lives could be changed because of you.
Please keep up the great work and help us to continue supporting people in need all year round.
People helped each week
Every week across Australia, The Salvation Army:
- Provides more than 3,500 beds for the homeless
- gives refuge to 800 victims of abuse
- provides 180,000 meals and another 20,000 food vouchers
- counsels more than 4,000 people
- helps 1,200 addicted people towards recovery
- provides 600 blankets
Humanitarian services we provide
- Family welfare assistance
- Refuge for women & children in crisis
- Homeless shelters
- Youth drop-in centres and support programs
- Emergency and disaster relief
- Drug and alcohol rehabilitation
- Counselling
- Family Tracing
- Bereaved by Suicide support
- Aged care
- Intellectual disability programs
- Employment services and training programs
- Rural and outback chaplains
- Court & prison chaplains
- Chaplains to emergency service personnel
Prevention
While our ministry is often about ‘putting lives back together’, The Salvation Army believes strongly in taking a preventative approach wherever possible, particularly with children and youth. This is seen in programs such as:
- holiday camps for disadvantaged children
- youth recreation centres and quality child care centres in high-need areas
- counselling and support for children with special needs.
These services aim to build positive interaction with young people before problems occur.
Early intervention
Where problems have started to develop, we believe early intervention is the next best strategy to prevention. For example:
- Reconnect Programs work with the families of youth at risk of leaving home to improve relationships before they choose life on the streets.
- Street outreach programs aim to connect with new runaways before they become entrenched in chronic homelessness.
- Alternative education programs assist those at risk of leaving school early, or those who have left school early, to get their education back on track.
Enabling independence
We also believe in enabling independence rather than facilitating dependence:
- Moneycare financial counselling service aims to address the factors contributing to financial hardship and to prevent dependence upon welfare assistance.
- Crisis and supported accommodation programs for men, women and youth provide case management to help clients address the causes of their homelessness and move towards independence.