On evenings of extreme high or low temperatures the State Government calls Code Red or Code Blue in recognition that the harsh SA winters and summers represent a real risk to the safety, health and well-being of people who are sleeping rough in and around the Adelaide CBD.

Imagine what it is like sleeping outdoors when the temperature plummets to near freezing.  Or at the height of the summer when it’s been over 40^o during the day and doesn’t get below 30^o at night. 

On these nights WestCare stays open and provides food, company and a warm (or cool!) safe place for people experiencing homelessness to spend the night.

Lives have been saved on these evenings.  During Code Red in February, two young women came to us – one was pregnant and the other had low blood sugar levels – both were taken to hospital by ambulance.  Without access to Code Red support, three people could have died.

In July, during a Code Blue, a woman came to WestCare with a large weeping wound.  She’d been discharged from hospital after surgery a few days earlier.  Again, we ensured she received appropriate medical care.  Her capacity to survive under such extreme conditions was extremely limited.

In these instances, your support is not only life-changing, but life-saving.

You help us to keep our doors open and the heating/cooling on overnight for people who have nowhere else to go.