Hotels Have Hearts gala raises record 857k for homeless services

Supported by the Australian Hotels Association (AHA), Hotels Have Hearts has become one of NSW’s most prestigious hospitality industry fundraising events since 2001. Nearly 600 guests representing the state’s most benevolent publicans and hospitality professionals accepted the invite to venue sponsor Hilton Hotel’s Grand Ballroom for an evening of frivolities and philanthropy. 

Some of Sydney’s most well-known hoteliers and industry representatives turned up to show their support for addressing homelessness on the streets of Sydney. Included on the guest list were members of the Laundy family who have more than 90 pubs to their name, as well as Minister for Gaming and Racing, David Harris, Shadow Minister for Gaming and Racing, Kevin Anderson, Councillor HY William Chan and Councillor (Waskam) Emelda Davis.

Fundraising began immediately after the first guests walked through the door, with a champagne bar tempting arrivals while they perused the silent auction prizes. Tickets for the car raffle were also on offer for one lucky entrant to win a Toyota Yaris Automatic Hatch valued at $29,892, donated in part by Chatswood Toyota & Ryde Toyota.

Once the ballroom doors opened for the official proceedings, guests were led to one of 50 tables adorned with heart-shaped decor. There were 33 Vinnies staff and supporters volunteering throughout the evening to assist with operations. They roamed the ballroom to sell raffle tickets, take pledge donations, manage the live auction, handle funds at the banking station, manage the stage schedule and operate the cloak room.

Major sponsor Commonwealth Bank assisted with costs of hosting the evening and providing generous donations. More philanthropy was found within the attending guests, with a $50,000 pledge announced from Lewis Land Group during the festivities.

Topping off the proceedings at the end of the night was the announcement that a record $857,000 had been raised for St Vincent de Paul Society at the 2024 Hotels Have Hearts event. This amount was more than 100k higher than the previous gala dinner, which was held in 2018 and raised $750,000. This brings the total amount raised to $5.5 million since the inception of Hotels Have Hearts in 2001.

The proceeds will be used to fund the Society’s housing and homelessness services. Past events have provided significant improvements to Vinnies’ Matthew Talbot Hostel, including medical equipment, a computer laboratory and art studio. Funding has also gone toward refurbishing a recreation and garden space at Vincentian House, an inner-city Vinnies service for women and families experiencing homelessness. 

According to the latest census, more than 122,000 people are reported to be homeless, with NSW accounting for the most of any state or territory. Recent data from the Australian Institute for Health and Welfare shows there has been a significant increase in unassisted requests for assistance over the last 3 years in NSW. Meanwhile, hundreds of Australians experiencing homelessness are dying prematurely in the nationwide crisis.

Hotels Have Hearts raises public awareness around these issues while raising critical funds for St Vincent de Paul Society to provide services that assist those who are affected by homelessness. These services, including ‘life skills’ programs and education initiatives, help some of the most disadvantaged members of our community regain the self–esteem they need to work towards independent living.