Deadline: 02-Nov-20
The Mercy Foundation is seeking Expressions of Interests (EOIs) for its Grants to End Homelessness 2020 program. This grant program is available for seeding initiatives, services, projects, advocacy and research that will contribute to the goal of ending homelessness by supporting permanent housing, housing first and permanent supportive housing solutions.
The Mercy Foundation acknowledges that the majority of people experiencing homelessness in Australia do not have high or complex needs. They simply need access to affordable housing and few, if any, supports may be required. People experiencing chronic homelessness are likely to have additional support needs.
Priority Areas
- Older women are the fastest growing cohort to experience homelessness in Australia. A recent study estimated that 405,000 women over 45 years to be at risk of homelessness. Women’s homelessness is due to a number of systemic and compounding factors, such as:
- an unaffordable rental market
- lack of superannuation
- working part time or casually throughout their lives
- taking time out of the workforce to care for family
- gender pay gap
- age discrimination
- Chronic homelessness is defined as an episode of homelessness lasting 6 months or longer or multiple episodes of homelessness over a 12 month period or more. People who experience chronic homelessness are likely to have ‘complex needs’, which usually means that they have one or more of the following:
- developmental disability
- traumatic brain injury
- serious physical health problems
- history of abuse or trauma
- mental illness
- mental disorder
- psychiatric disability
- addictions
Funding Information
- Grants range from $5,000 up to $50,000 for any one year, with grants likely to be averaging $20,000 – $30,000.
Eligibility Criteria
- Grants to End Homelessness are only available for projects within Australia.
- Applicants must be a legal entity, such as an incorporated association or company. If not, the applicant will need to be auspiced by an appropriate organisation.
- The Mercy Foundation is unable to fund services or projects which require recurrent or indefinite funding. However, depending on the project and its assessed contribution to meeting the objectives of these grants, the Mercy Foundation could choose to fund a project again the following year (subject to a further application). This can only happen in very special circumstances and should not be expected, but if a solid case is made then it might be considered.
For more information, visit https://www.mercyfoundation.com.au/social-justice-grants/grants-to-end-homelessness/