Worlwide Printing Solutions centres – in Fortitude Valley and Eagle Street, and Bundall, Burleigh and Robina – are making a difference supporting Rosies this Christmas. Both have kindly nominated Rosies as their charity of choice for the festive season, including donating $0.10 for every Christmas card sold.

LJ Hooker’s Gold Coast offices have saddled-up to help the estimated 4,000 residents who call the streets their ‘home’, at the Gold Coast Turf Club’s Stakes Day on November 7.

The leading real estate network has partnered with Rosies, to raise funds for the volunteer based not for profit organisation to support people who are marginalised within our community – especially those who are homeless, at risk of homelessness, or simply lonely.

LJ Hooker Ormeau Principal Nicole Hintz said that people were at the centre of all that both organisations do. At its core, real estate is ultimately about helping people find a home they can call their own. It is a basic human need. And the concept of home sits at the very heart of what makes a strong community.

“Our network’s founder, Sir Leslie Hooker, famously said ‘real estate is not about property – it’s about people’,” said Mrs Hintz.

“From Ormeau to Coolangatta, each day LJ Hooker helps people find a home that suits their needs and where they can happily live. But there’s a portion of the Gold Coast’s community for which that’s an aspiration that is sadly out of reach.

“’This is just the beginning of a longer term friendship we are investigating with Rosies with a view to making a positive impact,” she said.

Rosies started on the Gold Coast in 1987 as a youth mission. They are the longest service community organisation with the Schoolies Week safety program. Andrew O’Brien, Rosies General Manager, said that tonight it is estimated some 4,000 Gold Coasters are homeless. Youth homelessness, in particular, continues to be seen as an important local issue.

“Rosies aims to acknowledge human dignity and inspire an increased self-reliance, and it’s amazing what a simple cuppa, bite to eat, and a chat can do,” Mr O’Brien said.

“Almost 100 volunteers provided over 650 connections with our friends during one cold July week alone on the Gold Coast – that’s a 1,000 cuppas for Rosies,” he said.

The growing partnership with LJ Hooker will also provide education and awareness, which play a vital role in prevention and support and are at the core of Rosies aims. Rosies has a long established youth program involving a number of local schools.

Tonight, 20,000 Queenslanders are homeless. Most people are not homeless by choice. It is their only option. Often they are hidden. Once started homelessness can become a cycle, especially when young. Over 95% of Rosies work is funded through kind donations from our local communities. Support from friendships like this with LJ Hooker make the difference.You can too.

It is as simple as having a cuppa for Rosies.

Jacqui Green recently took up a call to action for donations of coffee and cups from Rosies, a volunteer-based not for profit supporting people who are marginalised within our community. Jacqui decided to spend an hour a day for one week, blindfolded, on Surfers Paradise beach offering ‘free hugs’ to people in return for donations to Rosies to support the homeless. Jacqui also contacted BioPak asking them to provide cups.

General Manager, Andrew O’Brien said that Rosies simply aims to acknowledge human dignity and inspire an increased self-reliance. BioPak were so moved by Jacqui’s heart warming efforts and enthusiasm that they contacted Rosies directly. As a result BioPak has kindly offered to donate Rosies with 100,000 cups that they need each year and are looking into a longer term partnership.

‘It’s amazing what a simple cuppa, bite to eat, and a chat with our volunteers can do for our many friends’, Mr O’Brien said.

‘Over 95% of our work is funded through kind donations from our local community, and wonderful people like Jacqui, and we cannot thank her and BioPak enough,’ he said.

BioPak Marketing Manager, Adrianne Tasker, said it was an obvious choice to partner with Rosies after Jacqui’s wonderful introduction.

‘Our aim is to raise awareness about the environmental impacts of everyday consumer choices and to offer solutions that enable our customers, employees, and the wider community to choose more sustainable alternatives’, Ms Tasker said.

‘We are very proud to support many initiatives throughout the community who share this vision’, she said.

Tonight 20,000 Queenslanders are homeless. Almost half are women. Over 40% are aged 25 or under, of which 3,500 are kids 12 and under.

Most people are not homeless by choice. It is their only option. Often they are hidden. Young people experiencing homelessness are also more likely to experience higher unemployment than the rest of the population, have worse health outcomes, and little to no income. Once started homelessness can become a cycle, especially when so young. Education and awareness play a vital role in prevention and support, which is also a core aim of Rosies.

It is as simple as having a cuppa for Rosies.