These three Aussie charities are all about supporting those in vulnerable positions, from young people to displaced women and hospital patients.
Now more than ever, giving back to your community can make all the difference when it comes to getting someone back on their feet. And as these charities show, Aussies are great at lending a helping hand.
BackTrack
BackTrack provides holistic support for young people going through tough times. The young people the charity works with are facing complex challenges such as housing instability, trauma, unemployment, poverty, and substance abuse.
The BackTrack Core Program is designed to help Aussies aged 11-18 to develop literacy, numeracy and life skills. This takes the form of one-on-one teaching sessions, driving lessons, and access to “The Cow“, which is a mobile classroom on wheels enabling the team to reach young people in rural and remote areas. On-the-job and accredited training can also be delivered thanks to partnerships with registered training organisations, allowing young people to enter the workforce with essential tools.
For those needing a safe place to stay, BackTrack offers fully supported and independent living at its main home in Armidale, with regular family dinners, camp outs and excursions to help build connection and resilience for young people. Staying in a tiny home also allows BackTrack to provide rental history, so teens can build towards moving into their own place. Around-the-clock youth workers teach them how to cook, clean, and set themselves up for independent living.
BackTrack Works is another vital program. Launched in 2018, it enables young people to access accredited training, traineeships and employment opportunities. Young people can participate in commercial services and community projects in agriculture, construction and more, while also making use of a targeted transition scaffold designed to help them enter the wider workforce.
This is only the beginning of the services provided by BackTrack. Other efforts include the Paws Up program, enabling young people to engage regularly with dogs for a loving, non-judgemental presence that can help with trauma recovery, education, and social impact.
The Schools Outreach program takes BackTrack youth and dogs to primary schools in remote areas to read to younger children during the school year. This increases literacy levels and connection with role models.
Launch Housing
Launch Housing provides emergency relief for women and children facing family violence and homelessness. The team believe that everyone deserves a safe night’s sleep, and are committed to ending homelessness in Melbourne.
The charity is one of Victoria’s largest community housing and homelessness organisations, providing crisis support, social and affordable housing. Viv’s Place is Australia’s first permanent supportive housing project for women and children fleeing from family violence. The building offers space for 60 women and 130 children to find a long-term home, connect with other families in communal areas, and access support services such as family counselling. By offering permanent housing, the program allows women and children to find peace and security, eventually re-engaging with schooling and the workforce in a safe and supportive environment.
Elizabeth Street Common Ground is a housing solution for those experiencing long-term homelessness, with 65 studio apartments and 24-hour support from professionals to ensure residents can access the care they need.
In 2024 alone, Launch Housing assisted more than 2,500 people with emergency accommodation, offered more than 2,300 people access to nurse and health support, and provided 74 per cent of young people leaving its facilities with study, employment or both.
Wishlist
Wishlist is a not-for-profit organisation purchasing vital medical equipment, funding support services and accommodation, and raising money for staff education. Since 1998, it has raised more than $15 million towards obtaining essential medical equipment and infrastructure in hospitals.
Wishlist Centres provide affordable accommodation for patients or their families, within walking distance of major hospitals on the Sunshine Coast. These self-contained rooms provide a place to rest between visits, with support services, exercise equipment, outdoor spaces and more.
Wishlist Coffee Houses, located outside Nambour and Gympie Hospitals, are run almost entirely by volunteers. Serving more than 100 coffees each day for health staff, patients and visitors, all proceeds from these cafes are donated directly to Wishlist programs for life-changing medical equipment and upgrades.
With just $1,000 a year, Wishlist can fund a therapy dog for physical, mental and emotional support to a patient. Other donation items regularly provided through funding include insulin pumps for paediatric diabetes patients, iPads for addiction recovery support, and enhanced care for women with pregnancy complications.
Other Wishlist services include a patient transport bus for residents travelling to the Gympie hospital, fundraisers to support the health of local patients and families, and Wishlist vending machines that can be installed in Aussie businesses to offer workers food and drinks for productivity while funding essential medical services.
Inspired by these three Aussie charities? To read about three more charities making a difference in Australia, click here.