SAFE TONIGHT. STABLE TOMORROW.
No Veteran Should Face Homelessness Alone.
Immediate help for Australian veterans, ADF members and their families who are homeless, facing homelessness or in an urgent housing crisis.
RECOGNISING THE WARNING SIGNS
Homelessness can happen faster than you think
Veteran homelessness does not necessarily begin with someone sleeping on the street. It can begin with a missed rent payment, an eviction notice, relationship breakdown, family violence, or leaving hospital, employment, or Defence, without somewhere stable to go.
Preventing homelessness can be just as important as responding once homelessness has occurred.
IMMEDIATE PRACTICAL RESPONSE - What Homeless Heroes does
01.
Emergency Accomodation
Helping secure somewhere safe when there is nowhere to stay.
02.
Homelessness Prevention
Intervention before a veteran or their family loses their home.
03.
Rent & Housing Crisis
Immediate financial intervention that may preserve accomodation.
04.
Bond & Relocation
Helping over come barriers to establishing stable accomodadation.
05.
Veteran Family Support
Support for partners and children experiencing housing crisis.
06.
Referral & Coordination
Connections to housing, health, advocacy and welfare specialists.
THE QUESTION WE ASK
"Would this individual or family be homeless but for this assistance?"
A relatively small intervention today can prevent a much larger crisis tomorrow.
HOUSING FIRST
Housing Comes First
Stable accomodation creates the safety needed to address mental health, employment, finances, family breakadowns and access to entitlements.
VETERAN FAMILIES MATTER TOO
Homelessness Affects Families
Homeless Heroes was never designed only for a veteran visibly sleeping rough. It responds to veterans, partners and children facing housing instability or dangerous circumstances.
A veteran sleeping in a car is homeless. A family moving between friends' homes is experiencing housing insecurity. A partner and children escaping violence with nowhere safe to stay are in crisis.
We respond to circumstances - not stereotypes.
HOUSING AND SUICIDE PREVENTION
Housing crisis can befome a much larger crisis.
Removing an immediate practical crisis can create something invaluable: Time
Time for mental health support to work.
Time for entitlements to be accessed.
Time for hope to return.
Time for housing services to respond.
Time for families to stabilise.
Time because someone answered the phone.
OUR HISTORY
Exercise Stone Pillow
The annual community sleep-out raised awareness and funds for homeless veterans. By 2017, around 500-600 people were sleeping rough in solidarity with those who faced it every night.
Exercise Stone Pillow helped bring veteran homelessness into public view - and became an important part of Wounded Heroes Australia's journey into practical intervention.
Community Participation
Australians sleeping rough for one night to raise awareness.
Defence Community Support
Veterans, serving personnel and community leaders participating together.
From Awareness to Action
A growing understanding that awareness needed practical intervention.
HOMELESS HEROES TIMELINE
Circa 2013
Exercise Stone Pillow begins
An annual sleep-out emerges to raise awareness of homeless Australian veterans.
2015 - 2016
Wounded Heroes Becomes Closely Involved
Frontline crisis work increasingly exposes the organisation to severe housing instability.
2017
Homeless Heroes Is Created
A specialist division focuses on prevention, emergency accomodation and housing stability.
2018
82 Veterans and Families Assisted
Emergency funds support veterans and families facing homelessness and housing crisis.
2025
The Mission Continues
1319 homeless veterans and families assisted.
MORE THAN A BED FOR THE NIGHT
Wounded Heroes' role is often to remove the obstacle that cannot wait.
Tonight matters. Because keeping someone housed tonight may change what happens tomorrow.
Prevent the Eviction
Keeping a veteran in their home can be less disruptive than rebuilding after eviction.
Create Safety
Emergency Accomodation provides physical safety while loger-term support is arranged.
Create Time
Immediate help gives housing, mental health and advocacy services time to respond.
WORKING WITH THE SYSTEM
We don't try to replace specialist services.
Wounded Heroes' strength is immediate crisis intervention. Longer-term needs are connected with appropriate housing, mental health, advocacy, DVA, financial and community services.
Wounded Heroes Australia
Immediate crisis response
Housing Providers
Stable accomodation
Specialist Services
Mental health, DVA, advocacy and family support
Stability & community
A safer future
