A growing concern

Homelessness is a growing concern in Australia, with more than 116,000 people reported on the streets in the 2016 Census of Population and Housing. Many were found to have fled their homes due to domestic violence, although people from a range of situations, backgrounds and ages were reported on these statistics. Unfortunately, this data, which is published every five years, has found a 4.6% rise of rough sleepers across the country, with numbers expected to grow in the next report due in 2021. 

Swanky Socks mission

These worrying figures compelled our team at Swanky Socks to do more to support people in our local community, Australia and beyond. In 2016 the Swanky Socks give back program was launched with one key initiative, to offer quality socks and footwear to struggling communities to help promote a happy and healthy future.

The programme offers to donate socks children and families who may be at risk of health conditions and illness, or simply because they just need a fresh pair of clean socks so they can practise healthy and hygienic foot care in their day to day lives. 

Partnering with Orange Sky

In our continuing mission to help those in need, Swanky Socks partnered with charity Orange Sky to join their mission in connecting positively with the 116,000 Australians who are experiencing homelessness. Their formula is simple -  provide a platform for every day Australians to connect through a regular laundry and shower service, with a focus on creating a safe, positive and supportive environment for people experiencing homelessness in the community. Through this charity partner, our team aims to tackle homelessness in Australia by donating socks to rough sleepers on our streets, supporting our overall mission of promoting healthy and hygienic foot care to those in need.

How does it work?

Our give back program starts with you, our customers and a promise from us at Swanky Socks HQ. For every purchase of socks made online, we will donate another pair of fresh, clean and new socks through our charity partners, such as Orange Sky. This means that not only does your purchase result in comfortable, healthy feet for you, but also for someone who is living on the streets in Australia, ensuring that more people can access the correct care that their feet and overall health deserve.

Although homelessness may be on the rise on our streets, we hope as a company that our program will help us to do our bit to work towards improvement in the day to day lives of homeless people, helping them to get back on their feet. 

To find out more about our give back program, please visit our web page: (https://swankysocks.com/pages/our-purpose) or visit the Orange Sky website to find out more: (https://orangesky.org.au)

(Statistical data on homelessness taken from Australian Bureau of Statistics:  https://www.abs.gov.au/ausstats/abs@.nsf/lookup/2049.0Media%20Release12016)