MACKAY HAS A HOMELESNESS CRISIS

How can you help?

Oh, what a difference your donation makes at Chances House!

Sadly, many local people are struggling with homelessness in our region.

Chances House offers meals, case management, healthcare assistance, storage lockers & essential items to people experiencing homelessness.

We provide a safe space during daytime hours which has storage lockers, toilets, pet food & water, laptop access, printer access, internet/phones, charging facilities, tea/coffee, a lounge/nap area, books, arts & crafts activities, music activities, social connection & much more. (Showers coming soon!)

We are the Mackay region’s only daily homelessness meal service, drop-in centre & healthcare program.

We do not currently receive any government funding. That means we rely on the generosity of lots of small donations from people like you to continue doing the vital work we do.

We work very hard to keep our administrative costs as low as possible so that your donation goes right where it’s needed most, because we know that you want it to have a real impact (and so do we!).

Please consider making a small regular (or one off) donation. It makes a huge difference to the many people we help every day.

Our Values

Humanity and Kindness

Self Determination and Connection

Integrity and Excellence

Lead, Innovate and Collaborate

What We’ve Achieved

We don’t just talk the talk - we walk the walk. All of this has been acheived without regular/government funding, with the help of our incredible community:

Over 120,000 meals provided since 2020

Over 800 nights of crisis accommodation provided

Over 116,250 hours of companionship, support and community provided

Over 116,250 hours of companionship, support and community provided

Mackay’s first homelessness drop-in centre opened

Mackay’s first homelessness storage lockers acquired

ABOUT CHANCES HOUSE

Our Location 

We currently operate all of our homelessness services from Chances House at 2 Endeavour Street, Mackay. Our Op Shop is located just down the road at 1/7 Victoria Street.

Meal Service 

We operate Mackay's only daily homelessness meal service. We offer breakfast and lunch (Monday to Friday) alongside weekend packs. You can donate a meal here.

Homelessness Healthcare 

We assist people experiencing homelessness with accessing relevant healthcare services such as medical, dental, opthalmology and more. We will soon be establishing our own in-house Homelessness Healthcare program and will offer access to more intensive healthcare support via our Registered Nurse who will operate from our Homelessness Healthcare Clinic.

Drop-in Lounge  

We operate Mackay's only homelessness drop-in centre ‘Chances House’ at 2 Endeavour Street, Mackay. All of our services are delivered from Chances House. It is a place where people experiencing homelessness can access resources such as phone charging facilities, storage lockers, internet, printing, telephone, toilets, music/art activities, tea & coffee station and more. (Showers coming soon!) This space also gives people a safe and inclusive place to 'be' whilst our compassionate staff and volunteers offer conversation, support, guidance and more.

Essential Items 

We offer a wide range of essential items to help make life on the streets a little easier. We offer tents, sleeping bags, insect spray, personal care items, torches, clothing, shoes, first aid supplies and more. Anything that is donated to our Op Shop which is deemed to be useful and needed for a person experiencing homelessness will not be sold - it will be kept aside for our friends on the streets.

Your donation helps more than you know!

A weekly contribution will go a long way.

Tier 1 Supporter
(approx. $3 per week)

$13.00 every month

Sleeping rough is tough! Chances House Mackay is a homelessness drop-in centre which sees up to 55 people each day presenting for assistance. You can make someone's life a little better by paying forward a fresh, hot coffee to a person who is experiencing homelessness. Your tax-deductible $13 a month donation will be enough to provide a coffee to a person each week.

Tier 2 Supporter

(approx. $5 per week)

$21.50 every month

Good nutrition is difficult to maintain when you are rough sleeping. A lack of food storage facilities and/or cooking equipment makes eating healthily very difficult. Chances House Mackay is a homelessness drop-in centre which sees up to 55 people each day presenting for assistance. You can improve someone's health and quality of life by paying forward a freshly cooked, nutritious meal to a person who is experiencing homelessness. Your monthly $21.50 donation will be enough to provide a meal to a person each week.

Tier 3 Supporter

(approx. $8 per week)

$34.50 every month

Maintaining proper hygiene can be very difficult when you are sleeping rough. Chances House Mackay is a homelessness drop-in centre which sees up to 55 people each day presenting for assistance. You can help someone feel better and maintain proper hygiene which will reduce their risk of illness or infection dramatically by paying forward a care pack. Care packs include deodorant, sanitising wipes, insect repellent, toothpaste, toothbrush, shower gel, soap, shampoo/conditioner, first aid supplies and more. Your monthly $34.50 donation will be enough to provide a care pack each month to a person in need.

Tier 4 Supporter

(approx. $11 per week)

$48.00 every month

Good nutrition is difficult to maintain when you are rough sleeping. A lack of food storage facilities and/or cooking equipment makes eating healthily very difficult. Chances House Mackay is a homelessness drop-in centre which sees up to 55 people each day presenting for assistance. You can improve someone's health and quality of life by paying forward a freshly cooked, nutritious breakfast and lunch to a person who is experiencing homelessness. Your monthly $48 donation will be enough to provide two meals (breakfast and lunch) to a person each week.

Tier 5 Supporter

(approx. $18 per week)

$78.00 every month

Serious infection is common in homelessness, and often it can result in a life or death situation. No one should have to die due to something so preventable. Chances House Mackay is a homelessness drop-in centre which sees up to 55 people each day presenting for assistance. We see (almost) daily presentations of people in urgent need of a GP review for various reasons, and we make it a priority to act on this. Your monthly $78 donation can provide a life saving GP appointment transport, and wound care supplies for a person who otherwise would go without. There is a real chance that your donation will help save a life.

Tier 6 Supporter

(approx. $30 per week)

$121.00 every month

Homelessness is tough on the mind, body and soul. Rough sleeping has a profound impact on life expectancy due to various factors. Chances House Mackay is a homelessness drop-in centre which sees up to 55 people each day presenting for assistance. Many of these people are sleeping on concrete or in makeshift camps. Your monthly $121 donation will help to give a person a night of relief from the streets by placing them into a motel or hotel. Having a bed, a TV, a sense of safety and a chance to rest properly can give someone the strength to keep going when things are tough. Your monthly $121 donation can provide a night of accommodation to a person in dire need of a good nights rest. Typically, we utilise these on people who are ill, injured, elderly, extra vulnerable, or have children in their care.

Tier 7 Supporter

(approx. $34 per week)

$147.00 every month

Homelessness is tough on the mind, body and soul. Rough sleeping has a profound impact on life expectancy due to various factors. Combined with poor nutrition, people experiencing homelessness are much more likely to face a premature death. Chances House Mackay is a homelessness drop-in centre which sees up to 55 people each day presenting for assistance. Many of these people are sleeping on concrete or in makeshift camps. Your monthly $147 donation will help to give a person a night of relief from the streets by placing them into a motel or hotel and will also provide a food pack to get them through the night/morning. Having a bed, a TV, a sense of safety and a chance to rest properly can give someone the strength to keep going when things are tough. Your monthly $121 donation can provide a night of accommodation to a person in dire need of a good nights rest. Typically, we utilise these on people who are ill, injured, elderly, extra vulnerable, or have children in their care.

Tier 8 Supporter

(approx. $46 per week)

$200.00 every month

Homelessness is tough on the mind, body and soul. Rough sleeping has a profound impact on life expectancy due to various factors. Chances House Mackay is a homelessness drop-in centre which sees up to 55 people each day presenting for assistance. Many of these people are sleeping on concrete or in makeshift camps. Your monthly $200 donation will help to give a weekend of relief from the streets by placing them into a motel or hotel for two nights. Having a bed, a TV, a sense of safety and a chance to rest properly can give someone the strength to keep going when things are tough, and can make life seem more bearable for a while. Typically, we utilise these on people who are ill, injured, elderly, extra vulnerable, or have children in their care.

Mission

Established in 2019, our mission is to provide a safe and nurturing place where people find immediate relief, hope, encouragement, and unwavering support to move from homelessness to safe shelter and opportunities for growth and independence.