Having a heart: giving back with REIWA’s Community REInvest program

Have you ever wondered what the heart symbol on an agent’s listing or profile signifies? 

It means their agency is a sponsor of REIWA’s Community REInvest (CRI) program, helping local WA communities by giving back through fundraising, volunteering and engagement opportunities throughout the year.  

Many CRI supporters are small agencies or sole agents, doing their bit to support those doing it tough. 

As well as raising funds through various events, our CRI members collectively devote over 200 volunteering hours a year to provide help and hope via setting up and serving food at The Salvation Army’s Community Lunches and helping sort, present and wrap gifts at Christmas Cheer. They also support the Red Shield, Sleeping Bag and Christmas Appeals financially and as collection points for donations. 

This support helps ensure West Australians experiencing various forms of hardship can receive the help they need. 

We are proud to say through the efforts of REIWA and our members, the CRI program has raised over $1.4 million for The Salvation Army in Western Australia since its inception in 2013. 

A brief history of Community REInvest 

REIWA’s CRI program was established in 2013, but its journey goes back to 2007 when a working group was established and tasked with finding the best way to address homelessness in Western Australia.

There were two key understandings from the working group: 

1. That REIWA needed an overarching, community focused, philanthropic, social responsibility program befitting of our place in the wider WA community and of the business role we play in the state economy.
2. That working with an established charity and social service provider was the best, easiest and most professional way we could proceed with clarity and efficiency. 

Thus, a partnership was established with The Salvation Army so that REIWA members could contribute both financially and by volunteering to help the Salvos in their important work with those experiencing homelessness. 

Over the years, our involvement has extended to providing a tenancy training program for clients of the Salvos and other community organisations.