Mission Australia’s new winter appeal highlights the true and emotional story of a mother and her eight-year-old son fleeing their family home to escape domestic violence to urge the community to donate to help support families experiencing homelessness.
Created with MindJam and Customedia, the campaign tells the story of 33-year-old Heather and her eight-year-old son Lucas who had fled their home a number of times to escape Heather’s violent husband, Chris. Heather had felt sorry for Chris and didn’t want to break up her family. She also had no other safe place to go. So the mother and son returned home – time and time again.
Domestic violence is one of the leading causes of homelessness in Australia with more than 114,000 people seeking help from specialist homelessness services in the past year because they were escaping domestic violence. More than 116,000 Australians are experiencing homelessness on any given night, and for many like Heather and Lucas, it’s the only option when home is no longer a safe place to be.
Mission Australia’s general manager, fundraising and marketing, Elvira Lodewick said the campaign highlights the difficulties and stress experienced by families escaping domestic violence and experiencing homelessness as well as the importance of donating to support families in need this winter.
“No one should be forced to stay in a violent home to keep a roof over their child’s head. Yet, we know that there are thousands of Australian families and young children who have been pushed into homelessness because their home is no longer a safe place to live. With the generous support of donors, Mission Australia can continue to help vulnerable families like Heather’s to find a safe place to call home when crisis hits and a caring professional to help them regain their independence,” said Lodewick.
Launched on 15 April, the campaign includes a direct mail appeal and is set to run on television, outdoor, press, radio and digital advertisements until 30 June 2018.
