The Harcourts real estate group’s charitable arm, the Harcourts Foundation, has partnered with national charity, Backpack Bed for Homeless Inc, to help provide immediate relief for some of the more than 45,800 Australians who sleep unsheltered every night.
Adrian Knowles, CEO Harcourts Australia, said “Partnering with Backpack Bed for Homeless allows us to act on our core values of putting people first, doing the right thing, and being a positive force in the communities we serve.”
Backpack Bed for Homeless has designed the Sleeping Bag Hypothermia Pack and the multi-award-winning Backpack Bed. In addition to shelter, providing a Backpack Bed serves as an engagement tool for outreach workers.
Tony Clark, co-founder of Backpack Bed for Homeless said “Our partnership with the Harcourts Foundation is another step towards having an increasing impact on the gap that exists today between the volume of people in need compared with the volume of people who are able to be helped, today.”
Pauline Smith, head of the Harcourts Foundation, said the charity meets the foundation’s mission to prioritise people and make a meaningful difference.
“We believe that homelessness is a social issue that demands practical and compassionate action and this opportunity allows us to make a meaningful contribution quickly,” Smith said.
“Through the Foundation we will be raising funds specifically for the purchase of Backpack Beds. These funds will go directly toward the purchase of the beds, blankets, and so on, which will then be shipped to the frontline charitable organisations for distribution to those in need,” she said.
The real estate group established the Foundation in 2008 and has since raised more than $9 million in funds for over 1300 charities in Australia, New Zealand and South Africa.
