It takes more than a set of keys and a roof to make a house a home. Most of our tenants walk into our accommodation with limited or no belongings. A miss-match of second hand items and donations provides yet another chapter to what is often a life-time of poor quality, second-hand, hand-me-down and borrowed items, poverty and disadvantage.

The Dignity First Grant released by the Department of Housing & Public Works allows our tenants to make their new house a home with basics most of us take for granted: like sheets, towels, pillows and homeware items. It allows our tenants to personalise their units and create a home space that will travel with them as they exit into long-term accommodation. This increases a young person’s sense of independence, pride, self-worth and allows them to create a space they are proud to show friends, family and case workers.

Thanks to Dignity First Funding each tenant entering our units this year gets to make their house a home! The slides above are pictures of some of the packs provided to young people already.

“The Queensland Government established the Dignity First Fund in 2016 to deliver innovative responses that help people experiencing homelessness to live with dignity.

The first $2.5 million funding round closed on 30 September 2016, with 24 applications receiving funding for a diverse range of projects that are delivering a wide range of essential services to homeless people in our community.”

Read More: http://www.hpw.qld.gov.au/Housing/Homelessness/Pages/DignityFirst.aspx