When people have been homeless for a considerable period of time, they no longer own the basic, everyday items needed to set up a home. It’s difficult to find the extra money needed to make a house a home when you are on a tight budget.
Home in a Box helps provide a comfortable, welcoming home, to help people settle in to their new home. It contains pillows, sheets, towels, doona, a dinner set, glasses, cutlery, kitchenware, a fry pan, a saucepan, toaster and kettle.
This year the Mercy Foundation has delivered 23 x Homes in Boxes to 16 women, seven men and an additional seven children’s boxes (children accompanying their parent).
Recipients include:
- A woman in her 60’s who had been homeless for five years, sleeping in her car and couch surfing
- A young woman who had been homeless for 18 months who was reunited with her young son in housing.
- A woman in her 50’s who had been living in her car for two years
- A man in his 40’s who had been homeless for ten years
- A man with an acquired brain injury who had been homeless for ten years
- A pregnant woman and her three children who had been sleeping in a park to escape family violence.
Below is some feedback from the service workers:
“Thank you for supporting our client with a Home in Box. She was overwhelmed when she received it, and said never expected to be able to have ‘such nice stuff’ in her home. She felt really happy and asked me to send her gratitude to you.”
“The boxes arrived yesterday and I was able to deliver them to our client who was so happy and excited. She said she can’t remember when she had such nice things.”
Service workers ensure that people moving into housing are provided with whatever support they need to address any challenges that they may encounter once they are housed.
Home in a Box would not be possible without the generous support of our suppliers. The Mercy Foundation is very grateful to MyHouse, Kennards Self Storage, Maxwell & Williams, Hospitality Products, HC Distributors, the Sisters of Mercy North Sydney and all our generous donors to this project. Thank you for your generous support.
