Father’s Day Breakfast

Fathers’ Day Breakfast

The 2nd September saw the welcome return of the annual Father’s Day Breakfast. We gathered to enjoy the company of the fathers and father figures in our St Aloysius community, enjoy some delicious food and hear from an inspiring guest speaker. This year’s guest speaker was Nick Pearce, co-founder and CEO of HoMie. HoMie’s mission is to support young people affected by homelessness or hardship to equip them with skills, confidence and experiences to be more work-ready and better prepared for their future. Nick shared some sobering statistics with us, that 38% of people experiencing homelessness are under the age of 25, and that for every 200 Australians, one is experiencing homelessness. Nick spoke to us about the language used around homelessness, highlighting that homelessness is temporary and emphasising the importance of referring to people as “experiencing homelessness”, not “being homeless”. He also reminded us that the vast majority of youth homelessness is caused by family breakdowns and a lack of affordable housing for young people. Since the organisation was founded in 2015, HoMie’s programs have supported more than 1,500 young people affected by homelessness or hardship, with this number increasing each day. The HoMie initiatives include VIP Days (a day each month where young people experiencing homelessness and hardship can visit HoMie in Fitzroy for brand new clothing, hair cuts, beauty services and lunch with the HoMie team) and the Pathway Alliance which encompasses vocational training and housing support, creating an environment of support, empowerment and opportunity. Through the funds raised via community donations, the Father’s Day Breakfast raffle and ticket sales, St Aloysius College was delighted to be able to donate $1,250 to HoMie. This money will go directly toward HoMie’s VIP and Pathway programs. We thank the wider St Aloysius community for supporting HoMie, and thank HoMie for the amazing work they are doing to support young people in Melbourne.

HoMie’s store is located at 296 Brunswick Street, Fitzroy. More information on the organisation and their community impact can be found at www.homie.com.au