These are some of the organisations involved with homelessness. Some of them work with and some alongside The Big Issue.

Homelessness Australia

Homelessness Australia is the national peak body for homelessness services and we seek to improve community awareness and understanding of the issues facing the one in every 200 Australians who are homeless. Homelessness Australia advocates for the rights of people who are homeless, works to represent the interests of more than 1300 homeless assistance services, and contributes to policy development and the evaluation of Australia’s homelessness service system.

Homelessness Australia has been financially supported by the Commonwealth Department of Families, Community Services and Indigenous Affairs since 1998 when the organisation – then called the Australian Federation of Homelessness Organisations – was formed after the Commonwealth Government sought a single peak body for homelessness.

Find out more: www.homelessnessaustralia.org.au

PILCH: Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic

The Public Interest Law Clearing House (PILCH) is an independent, not-for-profit legal referral service. It seeks to meet the legal needs of community groups, not-for-profit organisations and individuals from disadvantaged or marginalised backgrounds. PILCH acts as a facilitator for the community to access pro bono legal assistance from the private legal profession.

The PILCH Homeless Persons’ Legal Clinic is a project of PILCH. The clinic provides free advice and advocacy in the areas of civil, administrative and summary criminal law to people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness in Australia.

The clinic’s services are offered on a weekly basis at 11 outreach locations in and around Melbourne, which are already accessed by homeless people for more basic subsistence needs, such as soup kitchens and crisis accommodation facilities. A drop in service is offered at The Big Issue (148 Lonsdale St, Melbourne) on Friday afternoon from 2 to 3pm.

If you would like to make an appointment or more information about the clinic, please contact PILCH on freecall 1800 606 313.

Find out more: www.pilch.org.au

The Council to Homeless Persons

Established in 1972, the Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) is the peak Victorian body representing both individuals and organisations with a stake or interest in homelessness, and is supported by hundreds of members both in Victoria and interstate.

The vision of CHP is to work towards an inclusive society committed to eliminating homelessness through strategic state and national policy development and systemic advocacy.

Find out more: www.chp.org.au

SecondBite

Established in late 2005, SecondBite began when some energetic volunteers had the simple idea of collecting food that would otherwise go to waste from their local market and distributing it to people in need.

SecondBite has recently started delivering boxes of fresh fruit and veggies to The Big Issue’s fortnightly vendor catch-up. It’s a welcome addition to the BBQ breakfast when Editor Alan Attwood introduces the new magazine. SecondBite also delivers to the Street Socceroos training sessions.

Find out more: www.secondbite.org.au