2nd may 2008

Homelessness is a condition that can be surprisingly close. At any point in time unforeseen events can transform our ordinary, safe, secure lives and lead us into a spiral that results in homelessness. These unforeseen events may be mundane or extraordinary ... anything from an interest rate rise to loss of employment.

As a general rule, it is claimed that spending more than 30% of your income on your rent or mortgage places you in a situation of stress. However, in cities such as Sydney, it is not uncommon to see families spending way above 50% of their income on ever increasing mortgages. And regardless of how these families arrived in this situation (whether through the unsafe lending practices of banks and financial institutions or bad decisions by borrowers), the impact is very real. In fact, Mission Australia estimates that right now there are 1.7 million Austalians facing housing stress.

RealEstate.com.au are currently running a promotion where they will donate $1 for EVERY click on the Houses for the Homeless website up to a maximum of $100,000. This money can go a long way:

• $25 will help a Mission Australia bus take a person to emergency accommodation
• $50 will accommodate single homeless person for a night
• $100 will accommodate a homeless family for a night

There is more that can be done ... but you can start with the click of a mouse. Do so here.