Online Christmas Shopping? - Homepage for the Homeless!

Online Christmas shoppers can give a lasting gift doing their Christmas shopping from Homepage for the Homeless, a charity webpage set up to support young Australians who will be homeless this festive season.

Big name online retailers, including Amazon, iTunes, The Iconic and Red Balloon, form part of the recently launched homepage, which aims to capitalise on the growing popularity of online shopping in order to help young people in need.

While recent retail forecasts indicate Australians will spend around $32 billion this festive season, over 30,000 people under the age of 24 will have no place to call home this Christmas, according to Ladder, a Not for Profit organisation tackling youth homelessness.

Established in 2007 by a group of AFL players, Ladder provides support, mentoring and development opportunities to young people aged 16 to 25 that are affected by homelessness.

“AFL Players past and present are actively involved in the organisation as volunteers, mentors and staff, whilst all players contribute financially,” Former Essendon player and Ladder CEO Mark Bolton says.

“Last year the AFL playing group contributed over $150,000, with every player donating $25 from each senior game, which was matched by the AFL, equalling over $300,000 contributed from the industry.

“Homepage for the Homeless users can simply set the page as their default homepage, click through the retailer keyholes and five to 15 per cent of anything bought will be donated by the store to Ladder,” Bolton said.

“Homepage for the Homeless is an important initiative which helps young people in the Ladder program to gain independence and break the cycle of youth homelessness.

“The funds raised through shopping on the homepage go directly into Ladder programs that not only assist young people transitioning to independent living, but also help restore their belief in themselves and give them the confidence to follow their dreams,” Bolton said.