Our first Melbourne event for the year took place on Wednesday 20 March 2019 at PwC.
The event showcased three great organisations in Greater Melbourne supporting people at-risk of, or on their journey out of homelessness. The organisations and details are listed below.
We were honoured to have Melbourne Lord Mayor, Sally Capp, attending on the night.
The exciting live pledging session was led by our experienced MC John Loebmann and raised over $140,000 across the three organisations.
PWC and Connected Communities will generously matched donations on the night.
Event partners:
Please note that 10% of funds raised is retained by TFN in agreement with the NFPs pitching as a contribution to our operational costs.
Society Melbourne is a social enterprise with a vision to end youth homelessness. It also believes in solving social challenges through entrepreneurial solutions. True to this, the organisation has set up a number of social enterprises to help young people currently experiencing homelessness break the cycle. From crêpes to coffee and bagels, all of Society Melbourne's enterprises provide quality food to customers, with 100% of profits going towards its projects in areas including housing, employment, education and training. They are pitching for funds to launch an exciting new social enterprise named home.two. Find out more: society.melbourne
Meet the presenter: Tenille Gilbert, Co-Founder and Chief Operations Officer, Society Melbourne
Tenille is passionate about the power of social enterprise to engage local communities in creating local change. Her work at Society Melbourne combines her background in international development and growing interest in the business world. Tenille also works as Youth Coordinator at The Social Studio – providing support to refugees and migrants.
True to its tagline, “More than just a bed,” Project New Dawn takes a holistic approach to supporting homeless people in Melbourne get back on their feet. Through partnering with employers, homelessness organisations and housing providers in both the corporate and non-profit sectors, Project New Dawn runs programs to help those who are homeless or at risk of being homeless to find stable housing and ongoing support. Program participants are given secure housing, a caseworker to provide ongoing physical, social and emotional support, and assistance to gain ongoing and stable employment. Project New Dawn is pitching for funds to grow the number of participants they can support, as well as their network of employment and housing partners. Find out more: projectnewdawn.com.au
Meet the presenter: Wayne Dennis, Director, Project New Dawn
As a previous participant in the Project New Dawn program, Wayne knows first-hand the difference it can make the lives of those going through homelessness. Wayne was previously employed at Project New Dawn employment partner Bunnings, where he continues to work since graduating from the program. He is also a spokesperson for the organisation and joined its Board in May 2018.
Emerge has been offering crisis and prevention services for women and children experiencing domestic violence for 40 years. Amongst a number of therapeutic, educational and support programs, Emerge also provides safe and secure accommodation for women and children who are victims of family violence. This is key in giving women and children the confidence to take control of their lives and most importantly, preventing them from returning to abusive circumstances, sleeping in cars or ending up in other situations of homelessness. However, for many women, it can be challenging to transition from outreach accommodation into the private sector rental market – especially without financial security or rental history. Emerge are pitching to offer these women a month in advance rent to give them time to take control of their circumstances and start building a good rental history while having continuity for their children in school. Find out more: emergesupport.org.au
Meet the presenter: Beth Wallis, Communications Officer, Emerge Women and Children's Support Network
Beth has had over 15 years' experience in traditional broadcast production, producing content across multiple genres and platforms, and telling stories from around Australia. She recently moved into the for-purpose sector, driven by a passion for working in the community.