The Letterbox Project, an initiative designed to keep in touch with people going through isolation, has already helped thousands of people, but the group behind it are already targeting loftier goals in the coming year.
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The project began earlier in the year as one of the outreach efforts from Connected AU in order to keep Australians connected during the ongoing COVID crisis and help alleviate some of the burdens of loneliness.
Connected AU's director, Mea Campbell says the organisation has been 'very busy' connecting pen-pals and distributing letters, with 570 passing through the Letterbox Project every week.
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"So far, the impact has been phenomenal, the biggest piece of feedback and the most consistent response we've seen is that it's made people feel very visible," Ms Campbell said.
"Especially for the elderly people in nursing homes and the wider community, it's provided them with a lot of help."
While the initiative has grown as COVID lockdowns have taken hold of ordinary life, Ms Campbell says the underlying problems have always been an issue.
"There are 250,000 Australians in aged care and up to forty percent don't get any kind of visits," Ms Campbell said.
"This isolation crisis a pre-existing health and community issue, loneliness has so many co-morbidities and chronic conditions like heart disease associated with it, they're all more prominent in people experiencing isolation."
In order to help combat the crisis, Ms Campbell and others at the organisation have been lobbying for further support at the federal level.
"We've had some really wonderful and positive discussions with a number of federal ministers, the plan for the project is for it to continue and be a long-term support program," Ms Campbell said.
"That 40 percent of people in aged care who don't get visitors, what we want is for this to become a national project where at every nursing home they can tick a box on arrival saying they don't have visitors and they'll be referred to us."
One of the hardest challenges faced by Connected AU is finding the time, money and labour to keep the operation going.
"Logistics and costs are growing exponentially, we're posting about 570 letters a week, that'll be over 30,000 in the next twelve months, so we're really trying to lobby for more support," Ms Campbell said.
Thankfully, the cost to help out is small, with residents able to sign up as a volunteer pen-pal writer, or offer their services in a more administrative capacity, ensuring aged care homes remain connected.
"We've got about 7000 writers right now, but we obviously need a lot more, we do also have our volunteer program where people can get more involved, they can help out locally and with all our processing and logistics on the ground," Ms Campbell said.
Those looking to register to write or receive a letter can do so online at https://www.connectedau.com.au/
