The program operates out of Sagarmatha – our purpose-built Vocational Education and Development Centre opened in November 2006. The Centre relies solely on the generosity of individual and corporate donations; it has no other funding source.

Sagarmatha was established as a result of the great generosity of the South Australian community; through their financial and in-kind support of the 2004 Mt. Everest Appeal. Sagarmatha is the Nepalese name for Mt. Everest; it means ‘Goddess of the Universe’.

The Centre offers a range of varied recreational, skill development, educational and job preparation courses each week. The critical aim of the Centre is to ‘educate women out of homelessness’ through participation in the on-site courses offered, assisting them to move on to further study, facilitating access to employment and directing them to volunteering opportunities.

In 2007 15 women found employment or moved on to further study. The program has around 100 attendances each week.

In 2008 Sagarmatha will have an additional focus and strength available to members through the recent employment of a part-time registered psychologist with extensive experience in working with the long term unemployed.

If you would like to be a funding partner of this program we invite you to complete the Donations Form.

The Outreach Program enables clients to have the continuing support of a worker once they have exited the emergency accommodation program.

Using the case management model the worker links the client into all the various required service providers and follows up to ensure that these linkages are maintained and work well.

The main focus of the program is to solve recurrent homelessness through working with clients, and other support agencies, to prevent a crisis that could potentially lead to a relapse into homelessness.

If you would like more information please see our latest Annual Report.

The program offers a clinical service to clients (including outreach), internal staff training and a consultation service to inner city homelessness agencies.

The clinician works with clients to reduce or stop their drug use, achieve and maintain abstinence, obtain support to better manage co morbidity issues and symptoms, access mental health treatments and overall reduce recurring homelessness.

The program ensures that by addressing co morbidity issues on-site, clients become empowered to address their issues and are therefore more likely avoid recurrent episodes of homelessness.

If you would like more information please see our latest Annual Report.