Through The RopesPrevention. Intervention.

Who we help / People living in poverty

Poverty

Talent is everywhere. Opportunity isn't.

More than three million people in Australia live below the poverty line. Poverty limits what people can afford, including sport, gym fees, gear and good food. Through The Ropes is free for the people who need it most, so cost is never the reason someone can't step through the ropes.

By the numbers

Poverty in Australia.

The picture

Who lives below the line.

Who is most at risk Mainly JobSeeker: 76%; Mainly Youth Allowance: 73%; Mainly Disability Support Pension: 56%; Everyone in Australia: 14.2%. Mainly JobSeeker 76% Mainly Youth Allowance 73% Mainly Disability Support Pension 56% Everyone in Australia 14.2%
Share of people below the poverty line, by the main income of their household, 2022-23. Source: ACOSS and UNSW Sydney, Poverty in Australia 2026: Who is affected (2022-23 data), media release
One in six children 1 of 6 circles highlighted: children below the poverty line. The rest: children above it. children below the poverty line children above it
757,000 children, about 1 in 6, lived below the poverty line in 2022-23. Source: ACOSS and UNSW Sydney, Poverty in Australia 2025: Overview (2022-23 data), UNSW Newsroom

Behind the numbers

Sport costs money. That shouldn't decide who plays.

Poverty in Australia is measured as an income below half the typical household income. In 2022-23 that line was $584 a week for a single adult. Most people below it are working-age adults and children, and many are in households that rely on income support.

Poverty shapes health, schooling and opportunity. It also decides who gets to play: club fees, gym memberships, gear and travel all cost money that families below the line don't have.

These figures are from 2022-23, the latest year analysed, before some payment increases in late 2023.

How Through The Ropes can help

Free, fed and equipped.

No cost to take part

Donors and sponsors fund each place. No fees, no hidden costs.

Gear supplied

Gloves, wraps and mouthguards provided, so nobody misses out for want of kit.

Food and know-how

Nutrition support and practical food skills that work on a tight budget.

Next steps that pay

Mentors and partners help graduates towards work, training and getting on top of money.

Potential for impact

What the evidence says.

Honest about what we know. A ten-week programme can't fix poverty, which is driven by income, housing and policy. What it can do is remove the cost barrier to sport and community, support health and confidence, and connect people with the next step. That is what we'll measure.

What we will measure with every cohort, and publish:

  • Who starts, who finishes, and why people leave early
  • Wellbeing and mood at week 1, week 10 and three months later, using a standard validated scale
  • Fitness and attendance: sessions completed out of thirty
  • Next steps at three and six months: work, study, training, sport, housing
  • Places funded and the cost barrier removed for each participant

Fund a place.

Every donated place means someone who couldn't afford it gets ten weeks in the corner.

DonateRefer someone

Deductible Gift Recipient (DGR) status pending.

Sources

  1. ACOSS and UNSW Sydney, Poverty in Australia 2025: Overview (2022-23 data), UNSW Newsroom
  2. ACOSS and UNSW Sydney, Poverty in Australia 2026: Who is affected (2022-23 data), media release
  3. Noetel et al. (2024), Effect of exercise for depression: systematic review and network meta-analysis, BMJ
  4. Raposa et al. (2019), The Effects of Youth Mentoring Programs: A Meta-analysis, Journal of Youth and Adolescence

Figures are the latest published at the time of writing (October 2026). Back to Who we help.