Whether it’s providing essential furnishings for those in need, offering veterinary services to pets of the homeless or educating Indigenous youth, these Aussie charities are doing their bit to support our vulnerable communities.
ReLove
ReLove is a not-for-profit organisation providing Aussies in crisis with essential home furnishings to help them restore dignity and supply comfort. Whether it’s women and children escaping domestic violence, homeless individuals or those coming out of incarceration, the charity offers good quality restored furniture and household items to an average of 25 families each week.
By redistributing second-hand furniture, items that would otherwise end up in landfill are given new purpose with those in need. In 2025 alone, more than 6500 tonnes of furniture were saved from landfill.
In total, ReLove aims to fully furnish 1000 homes each year. This means reusing items from suppliers with surplus and ex-floor stock, corporate offices, hotels, removalists and community donations, and fully furnishing a home within 24-48 hours.
Clients are able to select the furniture and other items that they like from the online portal, empowering them with choice at a time when everything seems out of their control. ReLove then delivers it directly to the home, assembles the furniture and ensures appliances are connected. Those in need can also select kitchen and linen starter packs to help make a house feel like a home.
Last year, ReLove created more than 2000 fully furnished homes in 209 Sydney suburbs, using more than $10 million worth of furniture. That’s equivalent to more than 3,800,000 kilograms of CO2 emissions stopped from entering the atmosphere.
Pets of the Homeless
Pets of the Homeless aims to keep vulnerable people and their pets connected by providing essential pet care during tough times. The charity recognises that the bond between people and their pets plays a vital role in maintaining health and wellbeing, and seeks to create a community where no one is separated from their pet due to homelessness or disadvantage.
The Pet Food Bank in Cheltenham, Victoria, packages donated and purchased pet food to distribute it across the state using partners such as soup kitchens, food pantries and drop-in centres. This way, vulnerable owners can spend less money on essential needs while still providing for their pets. In 2025, Pets of the Homeless distributed more than 700,000 pet meals.
Vet Assistance is a program contributing to, or completely covering, routine procedures, vaccinations and major surgeries for pets. This includes Fix-A-Friend, an initiative providing low-cost, subsidised community desexing. The clinics are held monthly in different locations across the state. As well as helping with blood tests, dental care, urgent surgery and other diagnostics, Pets of the Homeless offers a Farewell Fund to cover the costs associated with losing an animal companion. Whether that’s the cost of veterinary care or cremation, the fund ensures that individuals who can’t afford a peaceful passing for their pets can still give them the send off they deserve.
Most crisis accommodation doesn’t accept pets, forcing many people experiencing homelessness to remain in unsafe environments rather than part with their companion. In response, Pets of the Homeless arranges temporary care for pets in need while their owners get back on their feet. This includes up to 12 months of foster care with carefully matched families, and emergency boarding for pets that can’t be accommodated in a foster home.
Since its foundation, the charity has provided more than 43,000 days of safe shelter, and helped over 4000 pets with veterinary care.
Red Dust
Red Dust is a not-for-profit dedicated to enriching the lives and improving health of Indigenous youth and families. The range of health, wellbeing and reconciliation programs have been co-designed with remote communities to encourage participants to adopt healthier lifestyles through mentoring.
The Healthy Living Program is a school-based initiative providing young people with a safe space to build wellbeing, confidence and cultural connection. The range of sport, art and multimedia activities teach these kids about healthy habits and leadership skills to experience success once they leave the classroom. Each session is tailored to align with the curriculum and offers employment, mentoring and upskilling opportunities for community facilitators.
The Strong Young Women program brings young women and girls together with Elders and Aunties to share stories in yarning circles and develop belonging and identity with themselves, their families, and Country. On-Country learning and hands-on activities combine cultural health with leadership development to open new doors for participating women. Similarly, the Strong Young Men and Boys program provides a similar opportunity for men and boys who work with Elders to support their wellbeing.
The Storytelling program is all about cultural preservation and celebration. It invites First Nations individuals and communities to participate in an artistic project that brings to life stories from that region. This means participants can learn new skills in music, video production and recording, while preserving stories for the next generation and teaching youth about their connection to Country.
Red Dust also runs cultural education sessions, where Indigenous and non-Indigenous facilitators work side-by-side to deliver cultural awareness, education and immersion programs both in-person and online. Corporations and community groups can register for programs structured around developing cultural foundations, truth telling and reconciliation action.
Each program purchased by an organisation supports more than 120 First Nations employment opportunities in remote communities. From online learning modules to on-Country immersion programs for employees, there are many ways to bring cultural learning to corporations.
In 2025, more than 1980 program participants and 10,100 community members engaged in programs and sessions run by Red Dust.
To read about three more important Aussie charities, click here.