A free mobile laundry service for the homeless has just expanded to its fifth city in Australia.
Orange Sky Laundry says it is working to support a diverse group of people and is now also fostering volunteers who speak languages other than English.
Every day in Australia, more than 100,000 people are homeless, with an estimated 30 per cent of them born overseas.
It started with two young men and a van nicknamed Sudsy.
Fitted with two washing machines and dryers, Sudsy hit the road in Brisbane just over a year and a half ago, its operators offering to clean clothes for people sleeping rough.
Now, founders Lucas Patchett and Nic Marchesi operate in Melbourne, Sydney, Brisbane, the Gold Coast and, most recently, Perth.
Mr Patchett says the service has been very well received across all five locations.
"I suppose it's two-pronged. You really get that self-dignity and raising your health standards of having fresh, clean clothes. There are a lot of diseases that are transmitted through homeless communities and through dirty clothes. But also, (there's) the healthiness of the mind and always being dirty and always feeling, I suppose, embarrassed about yourself. And then there's the second prong of that, which is the conversation. Nick and I didn't know at the start, but laundry takes lots of time, and that's a really awesome opportunity to sit down and have a chat. But it really breaks down those barriers, breaks down those stereotypes of homelessness -- that's where our services have the biggest impact."
Mr Patchett says one of the most notable aspects of homelessness is the diverse nature of the community.
Homelessness Australia says figures show high rates across Indigenous communities and also people born overseas.
Chairwoman Pauline Woodbridge says, on any given night, one in 200 people are homeless.
"Yes, well there's about 105,000 homeless, and about 25 per cent of those are Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander and about 30 per cent are born overseas."
Mr Patchett says his group understands the importance of communication and sharing meaningful time with people using the service.
He says it is looking for more volunteers, especially those who also speak languages other than English.
"It's always helpful. I can think about a number of our friends who are from diverse backgrounds, and I'm sure they'd love to speak in their local tongue. We're always calling out for volunteers for all of our services. At the moment, we've got about 450 registered, active volunteers, but (we're) always looking to add to that team."
Jo Fildes is the head of research and evaluation at Mission Australia.
Mission Australia says young people are also at great risk, with their research showing one in seven young people surveyed report being at risk of homelessness.
She says it is great to see initiatives like the Orange Sky Laundry service continuing its national expansion.
"It's a great initiative, and it really shows that, if you're homeless and you can have clean clothes, you can increase your self-esteem and start to access other areas of employment and opportunities. It's so incredibly important to provide those sort of holistic services to people who are homeless and start making them feel part of their community, so it's great that this is a youth initiative and it's spreading so widely across Australia."
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