A charity dinner that began with about 120 mostly real estate guests at a Cleveland restaurant has grown into a sold-out Alexandra Hills Hotel gala that has raised more than $230,000 for people experiencing homelessness in Redlands.
Sixth Year, No Seats Left
The There’s No Place Like Home Charity Dinner and Auction returns on Saturday, October 17, at Alexandra Hills Hotel, with the evening starting at 6.30pm. All 260 tickets are gone. Guests can expect drinks and canapés, a two-course dinner, entertainment, a photo booth, raffles and live auctions. Pricing for this year’s event hasn’t been published. Last year’s tickets cost $165 a person, or $1,650 for a table of 10, and the dress code was evening wear.
How a Small Dinner Found Its Feet
Local real estate agent Louise Denisenko, of Redlands Coast Properties, started the fundraiser in 2021. Her first dinner drew about 120 guests, mostly from the real estate industry, to the Cleveland Courthouse restaurant, and the organisers say it raised $20,600. A year later the event moved to Redlands Sporting Club, where 150 guests helped bring in about $33,000.
Alexandra Hills Hotel became the venue in 2023, with 180 guests and more than $42,860 raised, and the 2024 dinner passed $50,000. Last year, the organisers say, the night raised $85,711 from 220 guests. That is more than four times the first year’s result. Not bad for a room full of agents with a plan.
Where the Money Goes
The organisers say every dollar raised goes directly to the Redland Community Centre and its Homeless United program. The program supports people who are homeless or at risk of losing their housing. It helps them find somewhere to live, get back on their feet and move toward work.
The centre has run Homeless United since 2018, so its wider results pre-date the dinners. Its website reports 800 people housed and more than 200 supported into paid employment, with those figures dated 2021. Businesses interested in sponsorship can contact Ronan Wicks at the centre.
The People Behind the Night
Ms Denisenko told Redland Bayside News that watching the event grow has been remarkable. She said businesses, colleagues and individuals return each year because they want to help people close to home. In her view, backing from the real estate industry and the wider business community has been central to the dinner’s success. She thanked her own team and fellow agents Bianca Stubbs of Bianca Stubbs Real Estate, Leanne Bojarski of REMAX On Point, Julie O’Callaghan of @ Realty and Tanya Campbell Flood of First National Cleveland.
Everyone is welcome to be part of it, Ms Denisenko said, whether they buy a ticket, donate an item, sponsor the event or simply help spread the word.
Published Date 07-October-2026
