KSS April eKourier 2024

CHARITY

THANK YOU KSS FOR YOUR SUPPORT OF HOME IN A BOX! We are so grateful to KSS for your fantastic support of the Mercy Foundation’s Home in a Box project. Home in a Box provides brand new, high quality homewares to families and individuals who are moving into their own home, after a long experience of homelessness. best to them, for warmth and comfort so they can start a new life."

Due to budget and distribution constraints, Home in a Box is only offered to services in the Sydney region. With the support of one of our Board members, we are thrilled to be able to support these families in Broken Hill, and we know that the homewares will all arrive safely, packed in KSS boxes.

In the last few weeks, Home in a Box sets have been sent to:

• A woman with complex physical and mental health needs, and a long experi- ence of homelessness, • An Aboriginal woman with life threat- ening health conditions, who was homeless for a number of months,

Leesa Feilen, Projects and Comms Lead for the Mercy Foundation

M ost people who experience homelessness are living on a low income and don’t have the financial resources to start a home. Home in a Box helps people settle into their new home, lay down roots and restart their lives. Since the beginning of the project in 2013, Kennards Self Storage has provided us with large boxes to pack the Home in a Box sets into. This has been an incredibly valuable gift, enabling us to transport the sets in strong, reliable and great quality boxes. Since 2013, with your help, we have helped set up a warm and welcoming home for 590 households! Recently, a caseworker from Broken Hill approached us about the possibility of receiving Homes in Boxes for six families experiencing homelessness, soon to move into housing. All were victim/ survivors of family and domestic violence and currently residing in a refuge. Five families will be moving into public

housing, another into private rental. The worker wrote that:

• A man who was rough sleeping for seven months,

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• Another who was homeless for two years, sleeping rough and couch surfing,

As we approach the cooler months, with

• A woman in her late 40’s who was sleeping rough and couch surfing for many years. As we approach the cooler months, with your help, we are creating warm and inviting homes for families and individuals who have experienced the most difficult times.

"In Broken Hill, it is very difficult to source household items for clients when they move into their forever home. Local services use second hand products which is what we have been using so far. However, in our client’s best interest, especially after all the trauma they went through, we really want to offer what is ‘ your help, we are creating warm and inviting homes for families and individ- uals who have experi- enced the most difficult times

Thank you KSS for your continued support of this life-changing project.

Sue Mowbray CEO, Mercy Foundation

To learn more about the Mercy Founda- tion and their Home in a Box Project Google Mercy Foundation or go here: https://www.mercyfoundation.com. au/our-focus/ending-homelessness/ home-in-a-box-project/

14 Kennards Kourier April 2024