This time of year is for the spirit of Christmas.
Christmas is a time for family, friends and giving. For those Australians not on the breadline, many generously give donations to those in need.
Sadly, more and more Ordinary Australians find themselves in desperate poverty – our own homeless, struggling families, those unemployed, children in troubled families and without families, older Australians, disabled and ill Australians, our veterans.
Research released by the Committee for Economic Development of Australia in April 2015 found that 4 to 6 per cent of Australians – that’s between one and 1.5 million of us – live in poverty, with little hope of escaping it.
Charity begins at home.
For those Australian’s lucky enough to be financially able to donate to worthy causes that support Australians in need, it is becoming difficult to find a trustworthy charity – one that does not steal commissions for so-called administration; one that only supports Australians like it’s campaign promises.
Can’t trust The Salvation Army. “The Salvation Army is committed to providing care for asylum seekers in Nauru and Manus Island regardless of politics or popularity.” Read its website: http://hms.salvos.org.au/refugees-asylum-seekers-factsheet/
Can’t trust Vinnies. The St Vincent de Paul Society boasts its long history of helping migrants and refugees.”We do this both by providing services to asylum seekers and refugees in Australia, and by advocating to government on their behalf. Our services include providing financial and information support to migrants and refugees, for example through home visitation, food and financial help, visits to detention centres, and homework centres. There are also dedicated Vinnies migrant and refugee centres and committees in some states, which coordinate these activities and also offer information services.”
Read its website: https://www.vinnies.org.au/page/Our_Impact/Asylum_Seekers_Migrants_Refugees/
Can’t trust The Red Cross. The Red Cross in Australia spends millions supporting refugees, asylum seekers, immigration detainees and other illegals in Australia. Read its website: http://www.redcross.org.au/migration-support.aspx
Can’t trust The Smith Family. The Smith Family facilitates the Home Tutor Scheme (HTS) which is a service directed towards migrants and refugees that need further assistance to develop their English language skills for successful settlement in Australia.
Read its website: https://www.thesmithfamily.com.au/home-tutor-scheme
Can’t trust Barnardos Australia. Barnardos supports migrants. At its centre in Sydney’s migrant dominated western suburb of Auburn, Barnardos provides a range of welfare services to its “rich cultural diversity”, to high numbers of newly arrived migrants and refugees with more than 100 culturally and linguistically diverse communities living within Aurburn. Services include migrant child and adolescent sexual assault counselling, migrant domestic violence support, migrant family support and preservation, migrant kin care, migrant long day care for children aged 2-5 years, accommodation for migrants who are homeless or at risk of being homeless, temporary migrant family care and youth support
Read its website: http://www.barnardos.org.au/our-centres/auburn/
So, how can one be sure of supporting needy Australians this time of year?
In 2009, the Australian Department of Veterans Affairs released a report that identified that on any given night across Australia, over 3000 of our veterans were homeless due to their service to our nation. More recently, organisations such as Homelessness NSW, have argued that the numbers of homeless veterans across Australia is drastically higher than 3000, and have noted an increasing tendency for homeless veterans to be comparatively young in age.
Australian Diggers currently represent almost one in 10 of the homeless people who are at risk of death on Melbourne’s streets.
Australians who signed up voluntarily, qualified, gave their service for the defence of Australia – surely deserve Australia’s gratitude, respect and support.
So when they return and get discharged, Australia has a duty to our heroes. Each on an individual case basis, our serving men and women deserve to be respected, accommodated, fully medically treated (physical and mental) and then when ready to transition back to civilian life, appropriated counselled, skilled up and employed by the Australia Government at Australian taxpayer expense.
What Australian would deny their taxes such?
This has to be superior to the Australian Defence Force’s current OTTO bin treatment of its discharged heroes.
If you can afford it, you could reliably give to Australia’s Legacy Foundation or to RSL LIfeCare’s Homes for Heroes.
In response to this growing crisis, RSL LifeCare founded the Contemporary Veterans Homelessness and Assistance Program (Homes for Heroes) at Narrabeen in NSW. The program is available to veterans of contemporary conflicts, ex-servicemen and women post-1991, and the families of those cohorts, provided they are genuinely homeless. In addition to permanent residents, RSL LifeCare periodically provides accommodation to families and veterans on a short stay basis.
There is no other dedicated homeless accommodation for contemporary veterans in Australia.
Read its website: http://rsllifecare.org.au/young-veterans/
Also, Australia’s Legacy Foundation cares for the families of those who have served their country – Australia.
“Legacy is a charity providing services to Australian families suffering financially and socially after the incapacitation or death of a spouse or parent, during or after their defence force service. We currently care for around 90,000 widows and 1,900 children and disabled dependants throughout Australia.”
Read its website: http://www.legacy.com.au/
Legacy, on its website provides the following video – the McClymont’s beautiful tribute to the Australian Defence Force and their families with their music video for the song “Where You Are”.