Creating shelters inside places that are vacant at night is how this Australian organization set out to help the homeless in Australia. Beddown, a charitable organization started by Normal McGillivary, turns places commonly used and busy during the day into pop-up accommodation to ensure the homeless at night.
The organization’s goal is to create a safe environment for the homeless where they can enjoy “a great night’s sleep” by creating pop-up accommodation solutions for Australia’s most vulnerable, according to Beddown’s website.
“By providing a safe, secure and comfortable place to get a good night’s rest, we help restore health, dignity and respect for our guests.”
Beddown was built on three core principles as outlined on the company’s website:
- We believe everyone deserves a bed to sleep in.
- Repairing the quality of life, before building a life of quality
- Expedite the end of Beddown.
Transforming an indoor parking structure located in Brisbane, Australia into a homeless pop-up accommodation equipped with beds was the Australian charity’s first attempt at making their goal a reality. Currently, Beddown has a national partnership with Australia’s largest car park operator, Secure Parking, who operate over 600 car parks across Australia and New Zealand.
“We will look to get as close as we can to a proper comfortable bed to provide the homeless with a great night’s sleep is our ultimate goal. Sleep deprivation is a massive issue for our homeless, so being in a place that offers shelter and is safe, secure and comfortable we believe will have a big impact on those who use Beddown.”
With more than 8,000 people homeless across Australia who sleep in rough conditions on a nightly basis, Beddown believes everyone deserves a bed to sleep in. The organization is not only activating and re-purposing car parks as pop-up accommodations, they also work with several other charitable organization that provide complementary services such as laundry & showers, food and beverages, health and wellbeing, clothing etc. for the homeless, according to the website.
“I want to impact as many people as possible and together with your help we really can make a difference,” McGillivray said.
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