Skip to main content

                    Supporting grassroots organisations

                    Vinnies support staff working from a soup van
                    Many informal, grassroots organisations operating in Melbourne provide mobile support services to people sleeping rough or experiencing homelessness and poverty, including meals, clothing, bedding, shower and laundry facilities.

                    Vincentcare’s Grassroots Organisations project and the handbook for grassroots organisations are part of a three-year council initiative (PDF 1.2 MB) to implement an integrated approach with grassroots operators to amplify impact and reduce duplication of services.

                    Handbook for grassroots organisations helping people experiencing homelessness

                    This handbook is a voluntary resource for grassroots organisations to help you provide the best outcomes and service delivery possible, for your clients, volunteers and other grassroots groups. 

                    It is a live document and will be reviewed and updated regularly. We hope it makes it easier for you to navigate the requirements of running your programs and meet legal requirements. 

                    The handbook includes the topics, tools and information grassroots operators told us are most important to know. 

                    Your organisation can decide to what extent you use these tools. For example, if you are small or your activities limited you may want to keep it simple; larger organisations or those with more volunteers and mobile s​​ervices may need to implement more training, systems and procedures.

                    Download the handbook and resources

                    Handbook for grassroots organisations helping people experiencing homelessness
                    Further resources (including templates, forms, policies and procedures)
                    Note: These documents contain many links to other resources and websites. If you have printed the documents, please refer to the online versions above to access all links.

                      Was this page helpful?

                      If you'd like to give more feedback or ask a question, please contact us.