Month: July 2024

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Standing Together Through Snuggle Season

by:  Susan Holt

“Snuggle season”.  That’s what I call winter.  It’s the time of year when the uggies are thrown on (and sometimes worn in public!), the blankets come out and all the winter woollies get first pick from the wardrobe.

I’ve recently become very aware that I’m afforded the privilege of having winter as my favourite season as someone with a safe home.

Across Australia, 3000 people are expected to reach out to homeless services, such as Mission Australia, in the next hour.  Around 122,000 people are experiencing homelessness, many of them Australia’s hidden homeless, on any given night.  

Hearing these numbers can feel overwhelming.  Mission Australia, however, are unswerving in their passion to serve the needs of these Australians, moving each one towards independence.

Mission Australia stand with individuals and families across the country to provide practical support, find suitable housing and target the main known causes of homelessness in a bid to prevent more people facing a night without a safe home.  

As such, we are standing together with Mission Australia whose founding purpose is, “Inspired by Jesus Christ, Mission Australia exists to meet human need and to spread the knowledge of the love of God.”

Right now you can share your stories of how someone has stood with you through a difficult time, just as Mission Australia does with Australians in need.  

Mission Australia believes homelessness can be ended in Australia.   This instils great hope in me that one day, all Australians will be safe and warm throughout snuggle season.

To pray for the work of Mission Australia and find out more, click here.

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Stand Together Day Awards: Who Will You Vote For?

By: Susan Holt

Inspired by the work of Mission Australia with Australia’s homeless community, the 2024 Stand Together Day Awards give you the opportunity to nominate someone who stood alongside you during a difficult moment in your life and honour their role in your story.

Every day, Mission Australia is working towards a goal of ending homelessness in Australia, delivering homelessness crisis and prevention services, collaborating with people in need to tackle the root causes of their challenges.

Mission Australia have been committed to standing together with Australians experiencing homelessness since 1859.  In 2023, over 149,000 people were served through their tireless efforts.

As such, Mission Australia know how important it is to have someone stand alongside those who are struggling in life and, along with Christian Media and Arts Australia, have created the Stand Together Day Awards.

The Stand Together Day Awards exists to honour the people in your world who have stood with you, providing support through a challenging time that you have faced.  All of us at some point face difficult times and all too often these times come unexpectedly.  

We want to hear the stories of those who, like Mission Australia, have provided practical support and stood with you as you faced your most challenging times.  Our hope is that through hearing these inspirational stories, we’ll see more and more people recognise their capacity to make a difference for those around them.

To make your nomination for the Stand Together Day Awards, fill in the nomination form here and tell us about you and the person you are nominating.  Together, you could be heading to the Gold Coast, expenses paid, to receive the Stand Together Day Award at a special event, hosted by Christian Media and Arts Australia.

To find out more about Mission Australia and pray for their work, click here.