History
People Who Care was established in 1980 as a grass roots volunteer agency providing gardening and transport services to the aged. The initial organisation was run from a small living room with an old typewriter, some loose leaf cards and a journal recording telephone requests to do volunteer work.
1982 – 1993
People Who Care received a lotteries grant in 1982 which enabled it to move into an old-style duplex in East Perth, (rumored to have been a brothel) where it also received its first government grants. It also provided chopped wood to low income families.
1993 - 1998
The Lotteries Commission assisted with the purchase of a building in Bayswater which was large enough to house a growing vehicle fleet and all the office staff under one roof. PWC rented the rear of an adjacent building and began the first op shop.
1999 - 2004
People Who Care received another lotteries grant – for $300,000 – which enabled it to purchase new premises in Guildford. It also received a small amount of funding for a Leisure Center for Seniors. Services such as transport, home and garden maintenance, social support, Community Visitors Scheme and the op shop continued to grow.
2004 - Onwards
It was decided to embark on a period of growth. Since 2004, core services have more than doubled both in terms of funding and clients helped. People Who Care received an initial grant to provided additional services to clients in the South West Metropolitan Region and opened an office in Mandurah in 2006.
The current building has been refurbished and the old op shop relocated from the back of the building to the front. Increased street exposure has resulted in increased sales which has allowed People Who Care to put more money back into assets and additional services.