‘Unless you address poverty, you won’t tackle homelessness’, explains Anne Goslett, founder of the SHIFT Project. And that’s the core mission of SHIFT.
For Anne, the work they do at SHIFT is trauma-informed, personalised, and ongoing in order to transform lives. That’s why the SHIFT Project isn’t government funded. Government agencies are often about big numbers and after years working at the coalface, Anne believes that those systems are failing to deliver.
‘At the SHIFT Project we work with women who have faced domestic violence, homelessness, or hardship and we work to find a path, their path, forward. It’s not just about shelter. It’s about rebuilding a sense of self, restoring family and community relationships, and identifying what gives her meaning and purpose. With the right support, that woman finds herself, finds stability, and gets a chance to start again.’
Community support integral
That’s why SHIFT Project is so successful in helping women succeed. As a small, homegrown solution to addressing homelessness for older women SHIFT is focused on supporting women from welfare to wellbeing. But in order for SHIFT to operate, they need the support of their community.
This June, every dollar you donate to the value of $40k will be doubled by the generosity of an angel donor. The monies raised will go to providing safe housing, financial coaching, healing support and meaningful employment to women in our community who had given up. Women whose lives are now being changed not just by SHIFT but by a community of givers who believe they are worth it.
What distinguishes SHIFT from conventional support services is its commitment to relationships beyond program support timelines. The 88 per cent of participants that SHIFT maintains ongoing connection with often become mentors to others beginning the journey.
And this translates economically. For every dollar invested in SHIFT the community receives $2.30 in value through reduced pressure on emergency services, decreased welfare dependence, and increased economic participation.
SHIFT are doubling your dollar… so will you double theirs? Donations until 30 June 2025 are doubled. Donations can be made on shiftproject.org.au.
For four decades The Echo has printed the stories some people loved, some people hated, and some pretended not to read. If you want us to keep telling the truth, the real truth, not the sugar-coated version. We’ll need your support to keep the presses rolling. 
