Family Foundations Celebrates 5 Years of Support

Family Foundations provides a safe, structured, and supportive environment for families with children who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. Through a small, dedicated team of staff and volunteers, the program provides meals, material assistance, psychological and emotional support, referral, education assistance, advice and information.

Programs like Family Foundations are integral to offering mental health support in an informal way. Clients say that Family Foundations offers them ‘respect, love and hope,’ as well as a ‘shame, blame, and judgement free’ place to ask for help and to talk about their issues.

“I have so much love and respect for the staff here. If I had not had the support and help of Family Foundations I do not know what would happen to me and my children. Family Foundations has given me a safe place when I was struggling. Help with food, clothes, school items, but most importantly a lifeline during my time of hardship.”

Staff in the program love that they are able to help build support networks for the families and see the positive outcomes. ‘Whatever people’s background, they are accepted and welcomed. There’s a real sense of community. We know we can’t fix everything but what we can do is offer support, connection, and a safe space to be.’

This week, as we acknowledge Anti-Poverty Week, UnitingCare West is asking West Australians to consider what we can each do as caring citizens to reach out to people in our community who are experiencing hardship of some sort – to give people a hand up, not just a hand out.

Throughout the week, UCW will call on people who access its services, staff, partner organisations and the wider community to answer the questions:  ‘What does poverty mean to you?’ and ‘What’s your big idea to help end poverty?’ and then consider what we can do about this, as a community that cares.  Find out more here.

Family Foundations runs from our Inner City Connection Hub in East Perth on Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, between 3.30pm and 6pm.

Family Foundations receives no government funding and is only able to operate through donations from the community. A special thank you to the ongoing support we receive from:

  • Soroptimist International of South Perth
  • La Mint Catering
  • Second Bite
  • Oz Harvest
  • Kimberley Dental Team