Launch Housing has been REA Group’s major charity partner since 2014 and since then have helped 1,367 women and children from 483 houses with financial assistance, through the National Rapid Rehousing Fund, which provides financial assistance to women and children who are at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness as a result of domestic violence.
REA has also announced two new partnerships, including a three-year commitment with Orange Sky
Australia, with a specific focus on providing financial and in-kind support to Orange Sky Digital. With a growing footprint in Asia, REA Group has also entered a three-year commitment with the International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC).
The partnerships program will run until 2020.
“Domestic violence is the number one cause of homelessness for women and children, and this fund is to help women and children who are fleeing domestic violence,” said Jessica Christie, REA Group Head of Community Partnerships.
“The fund might help pay for bond, or they might have a place but they don’t have a fridge, or they might need to pay removalist fees. The fund covers a broad range of expenses which is why I think it has had such an impact.”
Ms Christie said homelessness is an aspect of property that is often underlooked.
“The motivation in getting behind this project was based on our purpose. Our purpose is to change the way the world experiences property. We want to change the position of people who are homeless or in risk of homeless.
“The last census figure was 105,000 people every night are homeless. This is a mixture of sleeping rough and couch surfing. We wanted to focus on the biggest cause in the homelessness group, and that is women and children at risk of homelessness from domestic violence. We wanted to make a tangible difference, that’s why we focused on a specific area.”
Dr Heather Holst, Launch Housing Deputy Chief Executive Officer, is also excited about the renewed partnership and has seen the tangible difference the fund has made for women escaping domestic violence.
“We see more than 18,000 people a year desperate to put a roof over their heads. REA has helped these people overcome major barriers like affordability, and together we are starting to make a real difference around the country,” Dr Holst said.
The money from the fund also assists case managers who use the funds to give practical assistance in dollar terms, such as paying for rent in advance for a client, paying for a removalist or bonds.
“We know that, in Victoria, the rates of reports of domestic violence are just continuing to increase. There are a lot of families under pressure. Launch Housing have a lot of temporary accommodation, but that fund is about getting back into rental accommodation,” Dr Holst said.
Dr Holst said she encourages other governments apart from Victoria to get on board with eradicating homelessness, which is a doable goal.
“Victoria has had a royal commission into family violence. One of its main recommendations around housing was to develop a private rental subsidy. I gave evidence in the royal commission hearing. We had subsequent correspondence with the people putting recommendations together and it was quite persuasive. This encouraged the Victorian government to release a lot of funding for this area which is encouraging to us.”
Lucas Patchett, Orange Sky Australia Co-Founder, commented: “Orange Sky is often the first port of call for people who are doing it tough on the streets. Orange Sky Digital can help introduce services to those people who may be afraid to get help in other ways. It made sense to partner with REA, a leading tech organisation, who understand better than most how technology can be used to help connect people.”
Arnaud De Baecque, ICRC’s Deputy Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, welcomed REA’s three-year commitment and commented: “Expressions of solidarity like this one from REA Group and its employees make it possible for the ICRC to continue our work in some of the most difficult areas in support of those most affected by conflict and violence.”
