If you’re a person who likes to make change in the world through donations and you’re so sick of...
Our team caught up with Neal Taylor, CEO of Holy Fools to hear about the wonderful work they are doing in Victoria. Read on to see about how they are fighting against homelessness, and how you can help!
About Holy Fools
Holy Fools has been around for 12 years in the Yarra Ranges in Victoria and focuses on homelessness or individuals at risk of homelessness.
We go out and look for people who are homeless and check on their immediate needs, then show and connect them with the resources and other agencies who can help them and provide material aid.
A big part of that is a lunch we put on every week in Lilydale, we’ve been doing that for 6-7 years now (every Wednesday serving 20-50 people).
Who we work with
We play a key role in an advocacy group with other agencies to work with state and federal governments on issues with homelessness and poverty.
A large part of this is helping authorities put together plans and procedures when dealing with individuals in a position of homelessness. We do a lot of education work too, we speak at schools and community groups to raise awareness but also to show how groups of people can get involved and have an impact.
We’re also involved in a lot of research in our area, our aim is to end homelessness in this particular area by 2030 and we’re auditing changes, numbers and the factors that have the biggest impact. We want to make sure that if anyone does fall homeless, there are resources and services available to them.
Our values
We’re a volunteer ran, Christian-based organisation and we have a lot of faith in what we do. We don’t push our faith in that regard but we do it because we see that there is a definite need for it.
The reason we got started is that we noticed that there weren’t any agencies in this area that went out onto the street and lent a physical hand, the agencies here were either a phone-in or walk-in for services type of business and we’re now the only agency that goes out and actively seeks those in need.
Our Achievements
One of the many achievements has been to get the local council to not only recognise the local homelessness problem but to also put together procedures that their rangers can follow when they encounter a homeless person - this alone took 12 years.
Want to see more?
If you’d like to see more information about the great work Holy Fools does, or if you’d like to speak with Neal directly, visit their website at www.holyfools.org.au
