Media Kit

Pup and Girl / Perth to Adelaide 2023
solo run / 2600 kilometres / 44 days
#endhomelessness

Pup and Girl are Lee-Anne Lupton, and two border collies;

Aoife and Willow.

Quick facts about who:

-Lee-Anne is a single mother of four young adults and teenagers, a full-time librarian and part-time aerial yoga teacher and is DEAF. She is a passionate social justice advocate, and particularly invested in the idea that 'everyone with the capacity to do so, is responsible for the wellbeing of those around them.' Everyone has a part to play in ending homelessness.

-Aoife (5 years old) is a border collie x, who was training to be Lee-Anne's hearing dog before everyone realised she is a little too over-protective.

-Willow (3 years old) is a boarder collie x, who is too daft to be an official support dog but is a fabulous running companion.

- Both dogs act as Lee-Anne's ears while running, and are lovely company on a long run.

-In 2019 Aoife and Lee-Anne completed a solo multi-day run from Adelaide to Melbourne. 10 days / 748 kilometres - Aoife spent most of her time in the support vehicles, keeping a keen eye on Lee-Anne from the front passenger seat.

Quick facts about what:

-First day running from Perth City - Sunday 21st May 2023.

-44 days running, every day - average of 60 / 65 kilometers per day.

-Finished Adelaide City - Monday 3rd July 2023..

-Lee-Anne spent up to 30 hours a week training, for two years to prepare for this event.

Purpose

Encourage kindness and compassion

When those experiencing homelessness are asked what can community members to do help, the reply is resounding familiar, Simply Be kind. Kindness is a rare commodity for those who are unhoused. Unspeakable acts of violence and disrespect occur to people who are unhoused daily and often the act of kindness one shows, is the only sharing of humanity experienced throughout the day.

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Challenge perceptions about homelessness - who / how / why

Sometimes we see the chicken before the egg - 'Being homeless puts an individual at increased risk of many health problems including psychiatric illness, substance use, chronic disease, musculoskeletal disorders, skin and foot problems, poor oral health, and infectious diseases such as tuberculosis, hepatitis C and HIV infection'

...and when we stumble across a person experiencing homelessness who might display the issues above we assume that what we see is the cause, rather than the consequence.

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Raise funds for organisations that assist on the frontline

Many non-profits regularly report that they are finding it harder to acquire new donors, harder to hang on to the donors they already have, challenging to maintain a regular stream of content for social media, and tough to maintain a satisfactory level of public profile in a crowded and competitive world where many non-profits voices are all shouting out at the same time. When run well, fundraising events are able to directly address all of these challenges.

All funds raised go directly to:

-Catherine House

-Hutt St Centre

-Fred's Van

-Orange Sky

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Why..?

** information courtesy of Launch Housing / https://www.launchhousing.org.au

The latest Australian Homelessness Monitor shows that rising homelessness continues to outstrip Australia’s growing population..

Across Australia, the average monthly number of specialist homelessness service (SHS) users grew from 84,800 people in 2017-18 to 91,300 people in 2021-22. This represents a rise of 8%, which is double the current growth rate of new households forming each year.

The number of people experiencing homelessness has changed drastically across different parts of Australia. While South Australian numbers have remained about the same for 4 years now, there has been a 24% increase in homeless people in Tasmania and a 22% increase in homeless people in Queensland.

Nationally, since 2017-18 homelessness (SHS service users) has grown at double the rate in regional Australia as in capital cities (13% compared with 6%); numbers have increased fastest in regional Queensland (up 29%) and in regional Western Australia (up 35%).

Australia-wide, housing affordability has been one of the fastest growing causes for homelessness to date; from 4 years ago up until 2021-22, the average monthly number of SHS service users who experience this issue in triggering their need for help has risen by 27%.

Recent rental housing market trends have likely contributed to ongoing homelessness growth, and to the risk that this will continue into 2023:

The period 2020-22 saw a dramatic spike in private market rent inflation across Australia, with renting prices (asking rents) rising at rates unseen since 2008; latest figures (June 2022) show annual private rent inflation running at 1.5 times the rate of general consumer price rises – 9.5% compared with 6.1%.
At 2.6%, the marginal expansion of Australia’s social housing stock for the period 2016-2021 markedly lagged both population (5.7%) and household growth (8.2%). Consequently, the proportionate share of social housing has continued to drift downwards

2021 Census DATA

Key statistics

122,494 people were estimated to be experiencing homelessness on Census night in 2021.
Males made up 55.9% of people experiencing homelessness; females made up 44.1%.
23.0% of all people experiencing homelessness were aged from 12 to 24 years.

Overview

122,494 people were estimated to be experiencing homelessness at the time of the 2021 Census, an increase of 6,067 people (5.2%) since 2016. The rate of homelessness decreased to 48 people per 10,000, from 50 in 2016.

Of those experiencing homelessness in 2021:

68,516 (55.9%) were male, an increase of 1.6% from 2016
53,974 (44.1%) were female, an increase of 10.1% from 2016.

Females accounted for 81.7% of the 6,067 increase of people experiencing homelessness in 2021.

The rate of homelessness for males decreased in 2021 to 55 males per 10,000 (from 58 in 2016), while the rate for females increased in 2021 to 42 females per 10,000 (from 41 in 2016).

Of the 122,494 people experiencing homelessness in Australia in 2021:

Two in five (39.1%) were living in 'severely' crowded dwellings
One in five (19.8%) were in supported accommodation for the homeless
One in six (18.1%) living in boarding houses.

Between 2016 and 2021, there was a:

26.5% increase in people living in boarding houses
14.4% increase in people in supported accommodation for the homeless
6.9% decrease in people living in improvised dwellings, tents, or sleeping out
6.3% decrease to living in 'severely' crowded dwellings.

The decrease in people living in improvised dwellings, tents, or sleeping out and the increase in people in other temporary lodgings may be partly associated with measures put in place by local and state governments in response to COVID-19. The increases in people living in boarding houses and people in other temporary lodging are also partly associated with improvements in data quality through greater use of administrative data

Pup & Girl support the following organisations - raising awareness of, and funds for:

Catherine House: https://catherinehouse.org.au

Catherine House offers crisis, longer term accommodation and support services for women experiencing homelessness.

Hutt Street Centre: https://www.huttstcentre.org.au/

Hutt St Centre is a place of connection and support, where people facing homelessness are empowered to rebuild their lives, rediscover their identities and reconnect with those who love them.

Fred's Van: https://www.vinnies.org.au

Fred's Van is a food service for people who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of homelessness and marginalisation in Adelaide. Fred's Van has over 650 volunteers and provides approximately 700 meals a week.

Orange Sky Australia: https://orangesky.org.au/

Provide a platform for every day Australians to connect through a regular laundry and shower service. The focus is on creating a safe, positive and supportive environment for people who are too often ignored or who feel disconnected from the community