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People have an idea in their head of what a person who’s experiencing homelessness looks like. We may reject the thought of ourselves reflected in this stereotype. Although the sad reality is that many Australians are struggling to make ends meet. With the rising cost of living, the impacts of COVID and the rental crisis, people who never expected to struggle are finding themselves in challenging situations. Although I have been very fortunate in my life, I can think of so many times where one or two changes in my personal life have pushed me to places I never thought I would be. 

My family moved to Australia from Zimbabwe/Botswana when I was twelve years old. My parents sacrificed a lot, including almost all of their life savings, to move my family here and give us a better life and opportunities. Although I was pretty oblivious at the time, I know that there were periods where my family struggled financially. If it weren’t for our family in Australia, the Zimbabwean community and the friends we made along the way, our situation could have been very different.

Dani is pictured below fourth from left in polkadots.

I think back to the Brisbane floods in 2011. My rental lease was up and the market couldn’t keep up with demand. As a full-time student with a part-time job, I simply couldn’t afford the inflated rental prices. I packed everything I owned into boxes and loaded them into my car. I had no place to live. If it weren’t for my friends who let me sleep on their floors and couches, who called their friends to see if anyone had a place for me to live, and who kept me positive and hopeful – my circumstances and the outcome could have been very different. 

In 2015, I found myself at the end of a long-term relationship. The bills that I was so easily able to pay half of had suddenly doubled. I had also recently left what I thought was my long-term career to go back to uni, and taken a much lower paying job. My savings ran dry and my mental health was at an all-time low. Thankfully, my support network of family, friends and co-workers helped me get back on my feet, get my mental health to a better place, find a new job and find a more affordable place to live. Without my support network, my fresh start could have turned into a very different reality.

Each of these times in my life, it has been the support and generosity of my community, my friends, my family, my workplace and my co-workers that has been the difference between having a home and potentially becoming homeless. I think everyone knows what it feels like to face the unknown or to be unsure if things are going to work out. You don’t have to have ‘experienced homelessness’ to know what it’s like to struggle or to feel lonely. 

The reality of financial insecurity is being felt across households nationwide. Last year one in two Australians had to change their living circumstances due to rising living costs. I have been that person and I know the difference that a supportive, loving, positive community can make. Orange Sky may not be able to change people’s circumstances, but what we can do is make sure that they have access to a safe and welcoming place to share their challenges and to feel like they belong.

Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples have a proud history of getting up, standing up, and showing up. As an organisation that brings together thousands of Australians from all walks of life, Orange Sky acknowledges our responsibility to celebrate and show up for First Peoples within our community.

Orange Sky benefits from the voices and commitments of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples each and every day (including Veronica Yanawana (VY), one of our incredible team members in Bidyadanga pictured below). This NAIDOC Week, we reflect on our past, present and future commitments, and celebrate the important First Nations leaders who have been crucial to our journey. From friends and volunteers to our staff and supporters; Orange Sky is passionate about playing our part to Get Up! Stand Up! Show Up!.

Prioritising reconciliation in our operations and enriched within our culture and policies. 

In May 2022, Orange Sky launched our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). This Innovate RAP is a mechanism for Orange Sky to #GetUp – prioritising reconciliation, not only in our operations but also enriched within our culture and policies. 

We recognise the tireless contributions of our RAP Working Group, and in particular, the cultural perspectives and knowledgeable voices of Racheal Higgins, Richard Cassady, Caleb Cassady, Leon Designs and Rhoda Tjitayi. 

Connect with Orange Sky’s Innovate RAP here.  

Improving equitable access to laundry services and employment in remote First Nations communities. 

Currently, 20% (eight services) of our Australian operations are in remote communities, aiming to bridge challenges with laundry access and costs. Our remote services include: QLD (Lockhart River, Palm Island, Aurukun), NT (Maningrida, Wadeye), and WA (Fitzroy Crossing, Bidyadanga, Yungngora). 

These remote services are made possible by some incredible local service partners such as Malal’a Health Service Aboriginal Corporation, Thamarrurr Development Corporation, Marra Worra Worra and Bidyadanga Aboriginal Community La Grange Inc. Our partners support paid employment opportunities for local people working on the Orange Sky van. Currently, Orange Sky creates ≈15 employment opportunities for Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander peoples in remote communities.

This includes legends like Gary (pictured, left) and Linton (right) who provide their community with access to laundry services in Maningrida NT, VY in Bidyadanga WA, and Thelma and Irene in Lockhart River QLD. 

Explore the remote communities we operate in here. 

Creating safe and respectful spaces for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander friends to connect on orange chairs. 

In the context of our work, we recognise the disproportionate rates of homelessness for First Nations peoples, particularly in remote communities. As we continue growing our social impact in an effort to support 40,000 friends by 2025, we acknowledge the importance of each orange chair that our friends sit on and each conversation we have. We are committed to creating safe, respectful and inclusive spaces to positively connect communities. 

Tonight, over 116,000 Australians will be without a safe place to call home. Though, many more are isolated from their community, and in need of support and connection. 

Orange Sky is much more than free laundry and showers. We are a connection space for anyone experiencing homelessness or doing it tough. 

Each day, Orange Sky volunteers -like Mark – are there to provide a safe space to connect with our friends, no matter the circumstances. 

The word ‘reconcile’ is a verb meaning ‘to heal relations with a person or group’.

This year’s National Reconciliation Week theme acknowledges the active nature of the word, encouraging us to Be Brave as we tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation, so we can Make Change for the benefit of all Australians.

Recently, Orange Sky announced the development of our Reconciliation Action Plan (RAP). Racheal Higgins is a pivotal member of Orange Sky’s RAP Working Group who developed the plan. Racheal is a proud Zenadth Kes woman and, among many other things, is an Orange Sky volunteer in Brisbane. You can read more about Racheal’s story here. 

Racheal told us what reconciliation means to her. “Reconciliation is about listening to one another’s perspectives, proactively educating ourselves and others and having the empathy to walk in someone else’s shoes,” she said.

To Racheal, truth-telling is a crucial instrument of reconciliation.

“We must acknowledge and accept the historical atrocities that have occurred and the resulting impact on First Nations peoples to provide a pathway toward healing and positively moving forward into the future.”

Rachel is pictured (on the right) with kids, Lily and Zane. 

In the context of our work, homelessness disproportionately impacts Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples. Orange Sky recognises our responsibility to provide equitable access to our services for our First Nations friends doing it tough, as well as strengthening our commitment towards a reconciled Australia in all that we do. 

Orange Sky Board Member, Paula Holden shared with us the ongoing importance of reconciliation in our work. “Seeing people for who they are and building connection is at the heart of Orange Sky and is also the essence of reconciliation,” Paula said. “For Orange Sky to serve our community and operationalise our values, reconciliation must be at the forefront.”

Orange Sky is strengthened by the voices and contributions of our Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander friends, staff, volunteers, partners and supporters. Our work in remote communities began in Lockhart River in 2017, with regular shifts now operating in seven remote communities across Australia. 

Paula noted that remote service expansion cannot be rushed, “forming localised relationships that are founded in cultural respect and patience.” Though she acknowledged that more needs to be done; “At a board level, we need better First Nations representation”. 

Orange Sky recently launched our RAP to solidify our commitment to working alongside Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples to improve health and social outcomes and address inequities. As an organisation that brings together thousands of Australians from all walks of life every week, we recognise our obligation to prioritise reconciliation in all that we do, and acknowledge there is much more work to be done.

Racheal’s hope is for an Australia that is brave enough to own up to its biases and stand against racism. “I’d like to see my future grandchildren and all other Indigenous children not be burdened by racism and the stigma that still surrounds being a First Nations person in this country.”

To learn more about Orange Sky’s commitment to reconciliation, connect with our Reconciliation Action Plan.

I learned about Orange Sky during a conversation over our family dinner table. My brother had come home from school beaming after hearing about a laundry and connection service for people doing it tough. He told me about the two young speakers – Nic and Lucas – who spoke to his school. Looking back, it’s fitting that a special conversation was the way that I learned about Orange Sky. After volunteering for four years and becoming part of the head office team over the past year; I’ve learned that ‘conversation’ is what it’s all about. 

I had just graduated high school when my brother told me about Orange Sky’s work. At that time, I was seeking something that would push me out of my comfort zone. I’d always been quite reserved and played it safe, but I was looking for a new opportunity. Something that would improve my mental health and actively help people.

When I registered for Orange Sky, I loved the flexibility and array of shifts I could join. I was leading a pretty busy lifestyle, so the Fortitude Valley morning shift worked really well. What I quickly learned was that the laundry service was merely a footnote of an Orange Sky shift; the main aspect is the sense of community. Whether that be conversations happening on the semi circle of orange chairs, or people standing together chatting over a warm breakfast and cuppa. Others may be sitting alone or reading a book. What I saw was people from all walks of life, enjoying time in each other’s company in a safe space.

Four years into my volunteering, I’m now lucky enough to work in the Head Office Team in operations. Also, I get to visit schools, and talk to kids about homelessness and the work that Orange Sky does. Given the impact the school talk had on my brother and my life, this is particularly special to me. Now, I get the chance to learn from and share with young minds about such an important aspect of our community. 

From these school presentations, I’ve learned more about the stigmas of homelessness. At the start of each talk I ask kids to share words they associate with homelessness. Most often, I hear “dangerous”, “dirty”, “scary”, or “alcohol”. When I explain that these are people like us, who didn’t have the same support networks, or that tough instances occurred that changed the shape of their lives; the kids respond so well. By the end of a talk, often children are sharing how wrong it is that people have to be in this situation. Other kids ask me how to sign up to volunteer. It’s so heartwarming. 

What I’ve learned during my time with Orange Sky is that there are some very inaccurate and heartless stereotypes that exist around homelessness. I understand as I had these same stigmas. Fortunately they were quickly reversed since joining Orange Sky. Now, I see the importance of reconnecting people in the community and the power of a conversation. 

I could sum up the past 12 months by a simple word and symbol; the word ‘change’, accompanied by the triangle, ∆ or Greek symbol ‘delta’. Change has been prevalent this year for Orange Sky, as it has been for many. Although nearing the end of 2021, I see that our crazy and broad ambitions have begun converging towards clear targets; much like the pointed edge of a triangle.

From our first wash in Sudsy to launching our volunteer management system Volaby (formerly Campfire); Orange Sky strives for innovation. We set a new five-year target to help 40,000 people by 2025, identifying the ongoing importance of innovation in everything that we do. This led to the development of Team Delta, a department focused on imagining new ways of helping people. I took on the role of Chief Delta Officer, with a mission to help more friends, develop new rigorous revenue streams and cultivate and curate Imagination and Innovation in what we do best!

I approached this new department by thinking as broadly as possible. The brief was simple; dream up innovative ways of helping communities that need us most, by giving some ideas a crack.

Our investigation to find communities needing laundry and connection support gave rise to the remote venture. Over a three month period, three team members and I hit the road in our orange truck, Rosco. We washed and yarned our way through 29 remote communities, with the intention to connect, learn and grow our remote services.

I cannot overstate the extent to which the venture informed Team Delta’s direction. While the washing was on, we sat with locals and community leaders, listening to stories that date back over 60,000 years. From central to top end Australia, children and Elders alike, it illustrated to us the importance of togetherness and Country.

Despite this, the ongoing disproportionate impacts of colonisation upon First Peoples was evident. In many places, limited access to health hardware, such as washing machines, continues to have significant impacts on health and wellbeing. It was clear that we needed to play a role in this space.

Following the remote venture, our team is now well on their way to tripling our impact in remote communities. In November, we launched a new service in Wadeye, with more locations ready for early 2022.

While in Central Australia on Anangu land, the powerful sun was beaming down and an idea was born. It was here that the Waru Dryer was designed. To improve our environmental impact and build costs, Team Delta imagined a new dryer that ran on solar power rather than generators.

‘Waru’, meaning ‘fire’ in Pitjantjatjara, represents a meeting place as well as one of humankind’s first inventions. This meaning aligns to the journey and intention of our mobile laundry vehicles. The world’s first solar powered Waru Dryers continue to be rolled out across Australia; saving 80% of electrical energy each shift.

The phrase ‘necessity is the mother of invention’ certainly applies to the build of our new remote vehicles (RV). To support our existing and future services in remote communities, we knew that our city-dwelling vehicles needed redevelopment. Reliability is essential in geographically inaccessible locations.

The RV3.0 is the world’s first solar powered laundry van, with three washers and three dryers onboard, and equipped with our latest mobile laundry innovations including the Waru Dryer. 

At this point, it would be remiss not to mention how Team Delta’s namesake became a COVID-19 strain that swept the globe this year. It feels almost suited that COVID would impact our imagination department, as it has done for many of our services and our daily lives. The Delta strain and pandemic continued to teach us to become more adaptable than ever to support our friends doing it tough.

Back at HQ in Brisbane, the team strived to new heights as well. Our volunteer software, Volaby, gained new incredible partners and was awarded the iAwards Queensland Not-for-Profit and Community Solution of the Year. Team Delta also launched two new laundromat offerings to extend our ways to help more people. Beginning in Toowoomba, the Laundromat of the Future, is a way for Orange Sky to perform volunteer-run shifts from existing laundromats to support friends. In November, we launched a Social Impact Laundromat in Adelaide (pictured below). This laundromat operates as a standard paid laundry service for the entire Adelaide community, with the added benefits that funds go towards powering our other free services. 

This year, we have achieved some of our greatest innovations since beginning Orange Sky. Despite the flows of change, I’m grateful to see the continuation of connection found on our six orange chairs. This togetherness is what Orange Sky is all about and is particularly important around holidays. It brings me warmth knowing that across Australia and New Zealand, our core values are emulated by incredible volunteers, and made possible by our team, supporters and service providers.

I found it interesting to learn that originally the delta symbol was a Phoenician letter meaning ‘door’. As we close out 2021, there is a sense that we are stepping through the door and into a landscape of new and exciting change and growth ahead of us.