Restaurants and Diners team up to help end homelessness

StreetSmart is set to launch its annual fundraising campaign DineSmart on 1 December, which will see a voluntary $2 donation added to diners' bills at participating restaurants.

For the last two decades, StreetSmart has been partnering with some of the best restaurants and hospitality venues in Australia, raising funds and awareness for local grassroots homeless organisations with the invaluable support of their diners. To date, the event has helped us distribute more than $11.5 million funding essential and innovative responses to homelessness.

StreetSmart is now calling on hospitality venues across the country to join in and register to be a DineSmart restaurant during the good giving season. The campaign is an excellent way for businesses to make a positive impact on the community and build goodwill with their customers. Participating venues are given promotional materials to display, and social media support is provided to help businesses engage with their customers.

“DineSmart is proof that a small donation can go a long way when the industry gets behind it. Having worked in many restaurants, I saw first-hand how simple it was to activate the event and also how generous our diners were during the good giving season” said Cynthia Mac Caddon, Partnerships Manager at StreetSmart, “and now that I am on 'the other side', I am extremely proud to see how the collective efforts of the industry have such a meaningful impact for our community partners” she continued.

The increasing need for support from people in all walks of life is stretching StreetSmart’s community services to breaking point. The Homelessness Monitor shows the rate of homelessness has increased by 8%, while community sector reports indicated that less than 10% of services can cover their full costs with their current funding. This is why DineSmart’s donations are so important and will help fund various responses to the homelessness and housing crisis.

“In the last 20 years I have worked for 4 different homelessness services all of which have been supported by StreetSmart and their support has changed clients' lives. We are so grateful to be a community partner.” - said Christine Duggan, Guthrie House, one of StreetSmart community partners.

Last year, restaurants around Melbourne and Sydney helped raised more than $176,000 through DineSmart, making possible 32 community grants. This year, we are hoping the Australian hospitality industry will help us scale the impact.

Restaurants can sign up to take part in the event here.

For any questions or concerns, please get in touch with Cynthia Mac Caddon at cynthia@streetsmartaustralia.org