Two of the Yarra Ranges based cafes are participating in a national campaign to support homeless people.
The Laneway Healesville and Incy Wincy in Emerald are two of the 850 local cafes across Australia who will rally their customers to take meaningful action during Homelessness Week 2025 by joining CafeSmart, a national campaign that turns your daily coffee into a powerful act of community care like no other.
On Friday 8 August, these cafés will donate $1 from every coffee sold to fund local homelessness services, with every dollar raised staying local to where it’s donated.
This year’s campaign comes at a time when rates of rough sleeping and housing stress continue to rise, with frontline services struggling to meet demand.
“After 15 years of brewing for change, CafeSmart has never been more critical,” StreetSmart Australia chief executive officer Alan White said.
“In the face of growing need, cafes and coffee drinkers are stepping up in a simple but powerful way—by turning an everyday ritual into tangible support for people doing it tough. Just by buying your coffee on Friday 8 August, you’re taking action and making change.”
Now in its 15th year, CafeSmart is an initiative of StreetSmart Australia, and has become a trusted channel for hospitality venues and their customers to give back, locally and directly.
Since its inception, CafeSmart has raised over $2.2 million, funded over 1100 grassroots organisations, mapping funds back into the communities where they were raised – a unique model like no other in Australia, and supported tens of thousands of Australians experiencing or at risk of homelessness.
In 2024 alone, funds raised helped provide direct support to 9300 people across the country, including meals, shelter, hygiene supplies, healthcare, phone credit, and emergency relief.
This year, the campaign is backed by Principal Sponsors La Marzocco Australia and Vitasoy, Supporting Sponsor CoffeeTools and Media Partners, Broadsheet and BeanScene.
CafeSmart is more than a fundraiser.
It’s a reminder that community care starts with connection.
At a time when social isolation and cost-of-living pressures are escalating, cafes remain vital gathering places of warmth, belonging, and solidarity.
This year’s campaign coincides with Homelessness Week 2025 and the theme ‘Taking Action Now’, reinforcing the message that everyone can contribute, and change starts with small, everyday acts.
How to Take Part:
Buy a coffee on Friday 8 August from a participating cafe – $1 from every coffee will be donated.
Pay it forward online if you can’t get to a cafe or want to boost your impact.
Share the message by tagging @streetsmarthospo and #CafeSmart on socials.
Find your nearest participating cafe via our interactive map and donate online at: streetsmartaustralia.org/cafesmart
