People who want to donate their time or resources can contact one of the below groups directly. Many of these organisations offer training and, in most instances, experience is not a prerequisite to help.
The following directory includes organisations that help people who are experiencing homelessness.
Website: BaptistCare HopeStreet
Email: [email protected]
Volunteers are required to help in the:
- Op Shop
- women's spaces
- Back Shed Cafe
- skilled pro-bono worker.
Applications and descriptions are available online. Volunteering involves a few steps including interview, induction and ongoing reviews. HopeStreet also accepts non-monetary donations including:
- food items, particularly tinned food such as meat or fish, vegetables and so on
- good clean blankets and warm clothes such as, but not limited to, socks, jackets and jumpers
- non-electrical home goods.
The Op Shops at Woolloomooloo and Glebe provide an inviting selection of new and used good quality clothing and household goods.Contributions will be warmly received.
Website: HammondCare Darlinghurst
Phone: 02 9329 9805, 0478 551 662
Email: [email protected]
HammondCare Darlinghurst is a 42-bed residential aged care home for people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. It provides permanent accommodation to those who have high level or complex care needs.
Volunteer opportunities exist for those wishing to be involved in social engagement with residents. Further opportunities exist for those with skills in art, music or property maintenance.
Please contact the Pastoral and Volunteer Coordinator, Peter Ellem.Website: Pets in the Park
Email: [email protected]
Pets in the Park is a national charity established in 2012 with the mission of improving the lives of homeless people by caring for their pets. The charity has established monthly pop-up health clinics in Darlinghurst and Parramatta where volunteer veterinarians and veterinary nurses vaccinate, administer flea and worm treatment, and conduct basic consultations for pets owned by homeless people.
Volunteer opportunities include veterinarians, veterinary nurses, social workers and HR volunteers to help establish protocols for volunteer contact, application and induction.
All non-monetary donations of appropriate resources are accepted.
Website: Rough Edges– St John's Anglican Church Darlinghurst
Phone: 02 9360 6844
Email: [email protected]
Non-profit community café that provides food, art, music and company to homeless and disadvantaged people. Open 2 days and 4 nights per week. Training provided for new volunteers.
See the website for dates about information nights and a description of volunteer training.
Non-monetary donations accepted including clothing and blankets. Contact Rough Edges Community Centre before donating any goods.
Website: The Salvation Army –Foster House
Phone: 02 9212 1065
Foster House is a crisis accommodation complex of 96 beds comprising a 20 bed dormitory and 70 single rooms. Payment provides accommodation, breakfast, lunch, evening meal and other foods for those with special needs.
Foster House accepts good quality non-monetary donations including but not limited to clothing and furniture. Please contact Rodney McDonald before dropping off any donation.
Website: The Salvation Army – Oasis Youth Support Network
Phone: 02 9331 2266
Email: [email protected]
The Oasis Youth Support Network is the Salvation Army's response to youth homelessness in Australia.
Located in Surry Hills, Oasis provides over 25 cutting edge programs that offer critical points of intervention and support for homeless and disadvantaged young people between 16 and 24 years of age.
Volunteers must be over the age of 21 and are strongly encouraged to contribute their time, talent, skills, funds and other resources for the benefit of our young people.
Website: The Salvation Army – Sydney Street Level Mission
Phone: 02 9360 1321
Email: [email protected]
The Salvation Army operates the Sydney Street Level Mission.
Street Level is a community that seeks to create a space where everyone is accepted and included no matter what their story has been in the past or is at present.
Street Level strives to be an inclusive environment where everyone in our community experiences a sense of belonging and a safe place to call home. Anyone interested in volunteering in the Surry Hills/Waterloo Centre cansubmit an expression of interest online.
Website: SEEK Volunteer
An online volunteering job network. Good for skilled volunteers looking to do pro-bono work.
Easy to search but please note that not all organisations advertise volunteer positions here.
Website: Shopfront Youth Legal Centre
Phone: 02 9322 4808
Email: [email protected]
A free legal service for homeless and disadvantaged young people under the age of 25 in Sydney.
The Shopfront’s volunteers are mostly law students, or law graduates doing practical legal training placements. The Shopfront also take some volunteers from social work, youth work or welfare-related backgrounds.
Volunteers need to be available on a weekday for at least 1 full day (or in exceptional circumstances, half a day) per week. The Shopfront is unable to accommodate volunteers in the evenings or weekends.
Volunteers must make a commitment to regular attendance over a sustained period. You may also be required to attend an orientation and training session.
Volunteers assist with a variety of tasks including answering telephone calls, taking referrals from potential clients, legal research, drafting and filing court documents, analysing evidence and preparing submissions. Prospective volunteers should send a brief resume, with a covering letter or email with details of your availability and why you are interested in volunteering at The Shopfront, by email, fax or post.
Website: St Vincent de Paul Society – Matthew Talbot Homeless Services
Phone: 02 9358 8142
Email: [email protected]
Supported accommodation for men who are experiencing homelessness.
Matthew Talbot has many volunteers and welcomes volunteers. Training is provided.
Good character is a must and when volunteering with children, criminal record checks must be completed. Usually a commitment of once a week for at least 6 months is required.
Website: St Vincent de Paul Society – Sydney Night Patrol
Phone: 02 9518 0303
Email: [email protected]
Sydney Night Patrol is a special work of the St Vincent de Paul Society. The service consists of 2 vans, operating 7 nights per week excluding New Year’s Eve, providing a meal, blankets, toiletries, snacks, hot beverages and most importantly, companionship to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness within the inner city of Sydney.
To become a Night Patrol volunteer you must be 18 years of age and over, and available to attend induction training upon commencement.
Please note that Night Patrol has currently reached volunteer capacity. Please see theget involved page on their websitefor more volunteering opportunities.
Website: Swags for Homeless
Phone: 03 9764 9422
Swags for Homeless is a not-for-profit charity working to provide emergency relief Backpack Beds to every homeless person turned away from shelter.
The public is able to buy a Backpack Bed for themselves, with 100% of the proceeds going to homeless projects, or they can be bought and donated to the homeless community.
Website: Sydney Street Choir
Phone: 0410 409 906
Sydney Street Choir aims to connect with, and inspire those experiencing homelessness through creating music, performance and passionate expression. Volunteers can:
- help manage administrative, financial, legal and marketing needs
- work with the choir – welfare support, playing instruments, singing with the choir (to help learn songs).
Website: Take Kare Safe Spaces
Operating every Friday and Saturday night, from 10pm till 4am at key locations across Sydney CBD, the Take Kare Safe Space provides somewhere where young people can rest their feet, get rehydrated, charge their phones, get first aid, find transport home or wait for friends.
Take Kare Volunteer Ambassadors provide on-the-spot assistance to young people and others who may seek support or provide way-finding assistance. Whether it’s helping someone to find their way around the city, get to public transport, reconnecting them with their friends, or handing out bottles of water, Take Kare Ambassadors help young people stay safe and get home safely.
Website: Twenty10 incorporating GLCS NSW
Phone: 02 8594 9550
Email: volunteering[email protected]
Support services for people of diverse sexes, genders and sexualities. Volunteers assist with:
Programs for young people (under 26):
Groups Volunteers and Drop-In Volunteers work directly alongside young people (although not in a therapeutic or counselling sense) either in our drop-in space (weekday afternoons) or through group activities (Saturday afternoons and sometimes weeknight evenings), supported by paid staff.Programs for adults (over 18):
Group Hosts and Group Facilitators work within our social and social support groups for adults.Programs for all ages:
Volunteer telephone counsellors staff our evening telephone lines providing support, information and referral related to sexuality, gender and general life issues.Twenty10 also has a volunteer board responsible for strategic oversight, planning and governance.
Website: Wayside Chapel
Phone: 02 9581 9100
Email: [email protected]
Drop-in Centre in Kings Cross that provides food, companionship, basic assistance, referrals, and so on. Volunteers generally participate in:
- Aboriginal Women’s Project
- Aboriginal Men’s Project
- Wayside Café
- Activities Program
- Wayside Youth
- Wayside Op Shop
- Day to Day Living Program
- administration and fundraising
All potential new volunteers must attend an information session to begin the recruitment process. These are held monthly on premises, and the dates are listed on the website.
Website: Weave Youth & Community Services
Phone: 02 9318 0539
Email: [email protected]
Weave Youth and Community Services is a not-for-profit community organisation providing a range of direct support services to disadvantaged children, young people, women, families, and Aboriginal people of all ages, who live primarily in the former South Sydney council area, as well as the City of Sydney, Maroubra/La Perouse and inner west regions.
Services include practical support, counselling, mental health services, drug and alcohol support, access to education and employment opportunities and assistance for information and referral.
Volunteering roles include tutoring, assisting with the transporting of young people home on Friday and Saturday nights, and assisting with activity groups and holiday programs for young people.
People who are interested in volunteering at Weave Youth and Community Services can check the website or contact the colunteer co-ordinator.When volunteer roles are available, people who are interested will be asked to complete an application form and attend an informal interview.
Website: Welfare Rights Centre
Phone: 02 9211 5389
Email: [email protected]
The Welfare Rights Centre is a not-for-profit organisation and community legal centre. We provide free legal advice and representation to thousands of NSW residents every year who are adversely affected by Centrelink decisions. The centre also provides education to improve knowledge and understanding about social security law in the community. The centre uses the knowledge and experience it gains through casework to advocate for reforms to the law and policy that would make the system fairer for everyone.
Volunteers are generally made up of law students and interested members of the community. Duties include administrative work, taking client instructions over the phone on casework shifts, legal research and if appropriate minor casework (under the instruction of a solicitor).
Please refer to the website of the Welfare Rights Centre for more information about volunteer opportunities.
Website: Wesley Mission
Phone: 02 9263 5588
Email: [email protected]
Wesley Mission is a large organisation that provides a range of services to people who are homeless as well as various opportunities for volunteers. Please visit their website for current volunteer opportunities.
Website: Wirringa Baiya Aboriginal Legal Centre
Phone: 02 9569 3847 or 1800 686 587
Email: [email protected]
A community legal centre for Aboriginal women, children, and youth living in NSW. Wirringa Baiya focuses on issues relating to violence against Aboriginal women and children.
Wirringa Baiya welcomes the interest of volunteers and is especially keen to help students with research projects which reflect the interest of the centre. Wirringa Baiya accepts students completing their practical legal training, depending on the centre’s capacity.
Website: Women’s and Girls’ Emergency Centre
Phone: 02 9319 4088
Email: [email protected]
Drop-in centre for women and children experiencing homelessness in the inner city.
The centre also accepts non-monetary donations including good quality clothing that can be given to women who access the centre.
Website: Youth Off The Streets
Phone: 02 9330 3500
Email: [email protected]
Youth Off The Streets provides accommodation, support, services and referrals to help homeless and disadvantaged youth. Its main objective is to build volunteer skills, self-esteem and self-confidence while providing a valuable contribution to the organisation’s variety of services.
Opportunities available for skilled volunteers (such as a handyperson).
The Op Shops, each one known as ’Father Riley’s Op Shop’, are vital in helping Youth Off The Streets raise much needed income for our programs and services.
As such, Youth Off The Streets accepts non-monetary donations and asks for your support in donating your unused, quality goods to our Op Shops to contribute towards the costs of running the services that we provide for disadvantaged young people.
