2025 Emergency Relief Appeal
We need your help more than ever.
Last year, Anglicare provided emergency relief to over 15,500 individuals across regional NSW and the ACT.
However, from October 2025 this vital work must continue without any government assistance.
Every donation, every conversation, every act of support helps.
Overwhelming need in our community has led to an unprecedented surge in funding requests to the government. Unfortunately, available resources fall far short of demand. As a result, many vital services—including Anglicare—must now rely solely on fundraising efforts to meet urgent needs.
Your donation provides food, connection and hope to the 15,500 individuals that come to us in crisis. Each one of those individuals has a unique and compelling story. Each one is worthy of our care.
Here are just two of these stories—two lives that your support has helped transform. Two compelling reasons to give now.
SAMI’S STORY
For years, Sami’s* family sacrificed and saved everything they could to send him to Australia to study. When it was finally time to board his flight to Canberra he was filled with hope and anticipation.
Accepted into an IT course, Sami found accommodation in a share house and a job waiting tables at a nearby restaurant. He could see his future laid out before him—and he was confident in where he was headed.
There was no way Sami could have anticipated how completely his world was about to change. The Covid pandemic affected all of us, but for some, like Sami, the impact was extreme. An impact that came about suddenly but also lingered for years.
All at once, Sami’s course was suspended, he lost his job, and as a foreign student he was ineligible for government supports.
With nowhere else to go, Sami’s landlord let him stay on for three months, rent-free, but eventually, with no prospects for supporting himself, he became homeless.
Hungry, and cold and utterly alone in a foreign country, Sami turned to Anglicare for support.
Sami was familiar with struggle and sacrifice. Poverty had been part of his childhood, and the volunteers that supported him remarked at how stoically he handled his circumstances.
But inside, Sami was struggling. His mental health was deteriorating. His confidence in himself and in his future was crumbling—the hope he’d arrived with was lost.
When Canberra, and the world, began to re-open, Sami returned to his course. He began working part-time as a rideshare driver. Through case management and support from Anglicare, he secured new accommodation. But it was still difficult to make ends meet.
Volunteers like Luke encouraged Sami to continue to utilise the services. “We said to him, use your money for rent. Prioritise that and we will feed you.” By this time, Sami had built meaningful relationships with Luke and the other volunteers at the emergency relief hub. They listened to his story and validated his experience.
“He had no one else but us, during a very difficult time”, said Luke. Despite successfully completing his course, Sami’s confidence remained fragile. He didn’t believe in himself enough to seek a full-time IT position. Instead, he began working fulltime as a rideshare driver.
With full-time employment, Sami no longer needed food and essentials, but still he continued to visit the services. He came to see the volunteers, to share a cuppa and have a chat. He came to feel connected and part of a community.
With time, and patient encouragement, Sami finally felt ready to apply for a role in his field. He now works full-time in IT but has not given up his rideshare driving. With the extra money he makes driving on nights and weekends he now supports the Anglicare emergency relief hub that saved him.
Sami’s transformation is a testament to what compassion can do. The generosity of supporters like you allowed us to offer him the consistent care, genuine connection and hope he needed in an uncertain time.
With that support he went from having nothing to giving back—and now, he’s helping others find hope.
You can too.
“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, the Father of compassion and the God of all comfort, who comforts us in all our troubles, so that we can comfort those in any trouble with the comfort we ourselves receive from God.”
– 2 Corinthians 1:3-4 NIV
You couldn’t walk past Cindy* on the street without noticing. Designer outfits, impeccable hair and flawless makeup—she looked like a woman in total control.
But this image couldn’t have been further from the truth.
In fact, everything in Cindy’s life was determined for her—and not just in relation to her appearance. She was told what to eat, when to shower, even who she could see. And for a long time, she saw no way out.
“On the outside she looked completely put-together”, said Norma*, Anglicare Emergency Relief Coordinator. “But she had nothing of her own. No access to money, and she was incredibly frightened that if she ran, she would be found.”
When Cindy finally took her first, terrifying step toward freedom, she came to Anglicare’s Emergency Relief Hub. She had escaped quickly, unable to take anything with her. She was sleeping in a borrowed car.
Thanks to supporters like you, the Anglicare team was able to provide Cindy with essential supplies— and, just as important, the emotional support she needed.
CINDY’S STORY
“I am so glad she found us”, said Norma. “We gave her food, clothing and toiletries. And we listened to her. She seemed really relieved to finally tell her story.”
Cindy told Norma, “I’ve never been able to talk to anyone about this before. But I’ve been able to talk to you”.
For weeks, while Janice mapped out her next steps, Norma and the team supplied her with food and emotional support. It wasn’t safe for Cindy to stay in the area, and she didn’t want to endanger Norma or the team by sharing where she was going.
“When I go, you won’t hear from me”, said Janice. “So I’ll tell you now how thankful I am for everything”.
Norma may never hear from Cindy again—but she’s confident she is finding her way to a safer, freer life—and she’s grateful that Anglicare was there when Cindy needed it most.
WE NEED YOUR HELP!
Please give what you can today.
With government funding no longer available, we are relying on the generosity of people like you to keep our emergency relief services running.
Every donation, every conversation, and every act of support helps us reach individuals like Janice and Sami when they need it most.
*Names have been changed and stock photos used to protect identities.