Empowering people who are experiencing homelessness.

Tonight, more than 116,000 Australians will be homeless.
Our aim is to make that number zero.

Ending homelessness

We’re a charity with big ideas and endless optimism. We get things done and constantly dream up ways to do things even better.

Everything we do is guided by two core beliefs:

Every person should be treated with dignity
Together, we can end homelessness in Australia

We do more than help people who are experiencing, or at risk of experiencing, homelessness. We treat everyone with dignity and empower people to find a fresh way forward.

Empowering people who are experiencing homelessness

Here’s what we do every day to empower people and reach our ultimate goal of ending homelessness:

Guest Homes

Our emergency accommodation provides a home and haven, not just shelter

Dignity Dishes

We look after all the creature comforts of a home, including home-cooked meals

New clothing

Partnering with Thread Together, our guests receive new clothing for a new life

Support

Support workers arrange targeted and specific support and accompany guests where necessary

Changing attitudes

We’re raising awareness so we can all work together to find solutions and end homelessness

Prevention

Our food relief program stocks the kitchens of those at risk of homelessness

Why we do it

Homelessness can affect anyone. It can creep up on those who’ve always had a place to call home and never contemplated life would be any different.

When did we say it was okay for a mother to sleep on a train with her three small children every night and wash up in a public toilet every morning?

When did we say it was okay for a 72-year-old man to be forced to choose between putting food on the table or paying his rent or buying medication?

It can happen suddenly, leaving whole families vulnerable.

How we do it

There’s only one way to end homelessness. One person at a time.
In working to end homelessness, we rely on a multi-faceted and innovative approach, defined by five key elements:

Specialist-led

Dignity is led by a team of specialists, with decades of experience in social services, housing, government services, organisational psychology and accounting.

Research-backed

Our intervention model is backed by science and brings together the latest research from around the world.

Data-driven

To better record and measure our social impact, we created a system and software (DigInS – Dignity Informatics System) to track data about our guests and how they’re feeling over time. This helps us understand and predict trends in homelessness.

Flexibility

We build flexibility into our services so we can find solutions on a case-by-case basis, do the small things that lead to big changes, and deliver real, life-changing results.

Agility

Our organisation is innovative, agile and transparent, so we can more effectively partner with other organisations, collaborate with other charities and involve the community – for maximum impact.

Founded in 2015, we’re already on our way to achieving our ultimate aim of ending homelessness. We have an extremely high success rate of getting our guests a positive outcome within 14 days, whether that’s getting them into the private rental market or connecting them with other service providers in their area. It’s a big goal, but we’re firm in our belief that – together, we can achieve great things.

22 Locations

250 People sheltered every night

15,000 Meals served every month

100,000 People empowered

Why donate with Dignity?

At Dignity, we believe small things can lead to big change. We don’t demand an ongoing commitment (though you’re quite welcome to organise monthly donations). Here, you can donate $10, $50, $100 or whatever suits your budget.

Most importantly, you know all of what you donated goes directly to those who need it most. Our work has been recognised by the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission, and you can also be sure your donation won’t go towards a band-aid solution but will be part of an overall strategy to end homelessness.

At Dignity, we don’t just help people experiencing homelessness. We restore their dignity and empower them to find a fresh way forward.