There are over nine million homes in Australia and if each homeowner made a promise to contribute just 0.1% of the property’s sale price to Homes for Homes, a significant impact could be made to ending homelessness.
To put this in context, on a $750,000 home, that is a tax-deductible donation of $750 to Homes for Homes. This gift is transferred as part of the settlement process so it’s money you wouldn’t normally see and therefore most likely won’t even miss, making it something that most of us could easily manage.
The property that you’ve sold will remain registered with Homes for Homes, allowing for future donations whenever it changes hands again. That’s unless the new owner decides to withdraw from Homes for Homes which they can at any time.
Also, it’s not just residential property sales that can help end homelessness. The same promise can be made on the sale or lease of offices, retail outlets, warehouses and factories. Renters can contribute too by donating 0.1% of their monthly rent. All donations made to Homes for Homes are tax-deductible.
Because no one should have to live without a home
It’s happening night after night in Australia. People are sleeping on the street, in cars or urgently looking for crisis accommodation. They are our most vulnerable women and men, as well as young families, including over 44,000 children. These people are being forced to live this way because of a chronic shortage of affordable housing.
But it’s much more than just a roof over your head. Having a place to call home is linked to well-being. It enables us to lead a life, to do things like wash and cook meals, hold down a job or attend school, and it affects how others see us too. So it should come as no surprise that homelessness results in greater dependence on welfare.
Research shows that there is a deficiency of more than 600,000 social and affordable homes in Australia, this is projected to be in excess of one million by 2036. This crisis is too big for any entity, charity or individual to tackle alone. Instead, this is a call for us all to come forward with a promise of support.