2026 Winter Appeal
Make a difference today.
This winter, people in our communities are facing immense challenges trying to secure safe, affordable and stable housing. Your gift can offer them immediate help and create lasting change.
We see young people, trying to finish university degrees, eating at free community lunches so they can save money for rent. We see families where both adults are working, applying for dozens of homes, but finding nothing, because competition for affordable properties is so intense.
And we see single women who, after losing a partner, are unable to find anywhere to live in their limited budget. That was the experience of Thelma*, a 68‑year‑old widow living in regional NSW.
“Housing shouldn’t come at the cost of dignity.”
-Housing & Homelessness Support participant
Thelma’s Story
After her husband passed away, Thelma’s financial situation deteriorated rapidly. While she receives a Department of Veterans’ Affairs pension, the loss of her husband’s income meant she could no longer afford the rent on their home.
With no affordable rentals available, Thelma had no choice but to move into an unpowered caravan. She was relying on public amenities at a local pub just to meet her basic needs.
Anglicare’s Financial Counselling team worked with Thelma to stabilise her situation—advocating with her bank, negotiating payment deferrals and ultimately securing a debt waiver, recognising both her long‑term credit history and her status as the surviving spouse of a war veteran.
While returning to the private rental market remained impossible within her budget, Anglicare assisted Thelma to secure a permanent powered site at a suitable caravan park—restoring dignity, safety and stability. But there are many others facing similar stress.
When housing becomes unaffordable, everything else unravels. People skip meals. Health suffers. Employment becomes harder. And more people turn to crisis support services like Anglicare. And rising fuel costs are pushing low‑income households even further to the brink.
That’s why your support is essential right now.
By partnering with Anglicare, you help lift up individuals and families struggling under the immense pressure of housing insecurity.
Together, we can ensure that people like Thelma are not left facing impossible choices alone—and that home remains a place of safety, not stress.
Your generosity helps Anglicare:
- provide assistance so people can stay housed, including delivering emergency food relief on more than 10,000 occasions already this year
- support people like Thelma before financial stress becomes homelessness—with our housing and homelessness teams supporting nearly double the number of clients we are funded for in 2026
- advocate for long‑term change through evidence‑based research like the Rental Affordability Snapshot and Essential Worker Report.