This Sunday 13 November, Mark Dreyfus QC MP, Federal Member for Isaacs, will trade the usual suit and tie for the helmet and lycra when he participates in the Hanover ConnectEast, Ride for Home cycling event to raise money to break the cycle of homeslessness.
This Sunday 13 November, Mark Dreyfus QC MP, Federal Member for Isaacs, will trade the usual suit and tie for the helmet and lycra when he participates in the Hanover ConnectEast, Ride for Home cycling event to raise money to break the cycle of homeslessness.
The Hanover Ride for Home event will see hundreds of cyclists ride along the Eastlink to raise money in support of Hanover. Hanover's services assist people who are homeless to enable them to take greater control over their lives, providing support to families and individuals across all age ranges, with a diversity of needs.
"There are many Victorians who are forced to sleep rough at night and it is organisations such as Hanover, which provide vital support and assistance to people in these difficult circumstances." Mr Dreyfus said.
"Whether it is supporting a family with crisis accommodation or assisting people to find long term housing, Hanover provides a range of services to many vulnerable Australians to help them get back on their feet," Mr Dreyfus said.
This Sunday Mark will be cycling in the 75 km Challenge Ride, joining the Event Ambassador and 2011 Tour De France star Simon Gerrans, and many hundreds of Victorians who will be raising money for this worthy cause.
"Last year Hanover raised just under $200,000 and this year they have already surpassed this amount. We are all hoping that Hanover can reach this year's target of $300,000, which will allow them to provide greater support to the vulnerable members of our community," Mr Dreyfus said.
Hanover Chief Executive Officer, Tony Keenan said that homelessness affects children, young people, families, men and women of all ages.
"On any given night there are 20,000 people homeless in Victoria and Hanover provides around 690 beds to those needing accommodation. With 560 of these located in the EastLink corridor, homelessness is not simply an inner city issue." Mr Keenan said.
"Hanover provides housing and support to over 6,500 Victorians every year, including 2,500 children - to do this, we rely on the support of patrons, donations from members of the public, and revenue generated by fundraising events such as the Hanover ConnectEast Ride for Home on EastLink."
"We want to do much more than just provide a roof for a few nights -we want to break the cycle of homelessness."
Last year, 63% of Hanover's adult clients were women, one third of adult clients had children with them, and almost 50% of clients were children. Of these children, 50% were under the age of five and the most common age of child clients was 12 months.
For more information about this worthy cause, visit Hanover's Ride for Home website at: http://www.rideforhome.com.au/default.aspx
