A new substantial financial commitment from Pepperstone to Street Swags Australia will provide emergency bedding to homeless people across Australia, the majority of those being mothers and children.
Street Swags Australia, an organization which provides practical support for homeless people by offering a comfortable and durable form of bedding, will provide its custom version of the iconic Australian ‘Swag’ a canvass tent-mattress hybrid to homeless through drop-in centres and soup kitchens across the country.
The effort is part of Pepperstone’s 2015 Corporate Social Responsibility commitment to military veterans, homelessness and indigenous Australians.
“This year, Street Swags will distribute more than 5,000 swags across Australia, bringing the total since Jean Madden designed the swag and started the charity to just over 36,000. Unfortunately, it’s a drop in the ocean when you consider that on any given night, 1 in 200 Australians are homeless and tens of thousands are sleeping rough.”
Street Swags are manufactured at Woodford Correctional Centre and other correctional centres throughout Australia, to give prisoners work readiness skills along with tertiary qualifications.
“We are proud to pledge our support to Street Swags and provide the iconic Australian Swag to homeless in need” said Owen Kerr, CEO of Pepperstone.
“I would call on other members of the Financial Community to do more for the underprivileged in our society, in particular the tackling of youth, family and indigenous homelessness across Australia. By providing emergency accommodation in the form of a Swag, we can assist our homeless get back on their feet and back into mainstream society”
A rather alarming statistic is that according to Street Swags, families with children are the fastest growing group of people experiencing homelessness in Australia.
Every day, almost 80 percent of families seeking immediate accommodation from the homeless service system are turned away. The aim of Street Swags is to reduce the amount of illness and the number of deaths in Australia attributed to homelessness sand sleeping outdoors without adequate protection from the elements.
For the official announcement from Pepperstone, click here.