Australians can raise $100,000 in donations to help Mission Australia house the homeless this May--without having to give a single penny themselves.

For every person who visits housesforthehomeless.com.au, the country’s largest real estate website—realestate.com.au—will donate one dollar to the charity so it can provide support to homeless people, up to a total of $100,000.

realestate.com.au’s General Manager – Asia Pacific, Shaun Di Gregorio, said:

“We know everyone wants to make a positive difference for the homeless but most people’s budgets are tight these days. We’ve set up housesforthehomeless.com.au so people can donate $100,000 without it costing them a thing.

“We also hope they will use the information on housesforthehomeless.com.au to learn more about the homeless issue. Hopefully, they may even be inspired to go on to make an additional donation of their own money to Mission Australia.

“At realestate.com.au we are big believers in the power of the internet to change lives for the better. Over the years, we have already helped millions of people find a home to buy, rent or share. By creating housesforthehomeless.com.au and helping Sydneysiders support Mission Australia, we want to help those people who are missing out on a basic need – a need which so many of us take for granted – shelter.

“Mission Australia is doing important work, and we are glad to be their partners in helping homeless people throughout the country.”

Toby Hall, CEO of Mission Australia, said:

“Homelessness is on the rise in Australia. At last official count, there were 100,000 homeless Australians on any one night, but we believe the actual number is larger.

"And the range of causes of homelessness is also extremely diverse. For some people – particularly teenagers – it’s because of family conflict. For others, it’s mental illness or substance abuse.

“More and more these days we see people who become homeless for financial reasons–they can’t make their rent or they’re too deep in debt.

“The general public’s lack of understanding of homelessness is also a cause of concern. If we’re to make inroads into homelessness, we need to build better awareness of the issues at hand.

“realestate.com.au’s generous support will certainly make a real and tangible difference for a lot more people in our communities,” Mr Hall said.

About realestate.com.au
realestate.com.au has helped more people find a home in Australia than any other website every month since October 2000 (Nielsen//NetRatings). It is one of 18 websites and in 12 countries operated by the REA Group (realestate.com.au Ltd, ASX:REA, and its subsidiary companies). The company established in 2005 the REA Group Foundation, which is committed to enriching the lives of young Australians through its support of charitable enterprises and innovative programs to build strong and nurturing communities.

About Mission Australia
Mission Australia is a non-denominational Christian community service organisation. For almost 150 years, we have been helping change the lives of Australians in need. We have more than 450 services across metropolitan, rural and regional Australia – in every state and territory – and last year assisted more than 300,000 people. We are committed to eliminating disadvantage and creating a fairer Australia. Through our programs and services, we combat homelessness; assist families and children to develop a safe, nurturing environment; support disadvantaged young people; deliver entry-level training; and help unemployed people find permanent work.

For further information or interview opportunities please contact:

Giselle Pethard, realestate.com.au - 03 98434242 / 0414 299658 / gpethard@realestate.com.au
Anh Dang, Mission Australia – 02 9641 5031/ 0423 028 654/ danga@missionaustralia.com.au