StreetSmart was founded by Adam Robinson in 2003. It was while working at a small youth service in Dandenong, in the outer suburbs of Melbourne, he gained first-hand experience of the vital work of grassroots organisations, embedded in their local communities, and the many barriers to funding that they face. The aim of founding StreetSmart was to play the unique role of simultaneously raising vital funds for these important smaller local organisations, strengthening them through collaboration and connecting them to their community and helping break down inaccurate prejudices about people experiencing homelessness. To date StreetSmart has supported over 1000 community partners and we still operate at a local, grassroots level to fund critical services. Adam is still part of the team at StreetSmart.
All about StreetSmart
We believe no one should be without a safe and secure place to call home.
We Believe
We believe everyone should have a safe and secure place to call home. It is a basic human right. Ending homelessness will take a whole of community response.
We Empower
Through innovative campaigns we enable and empower communities to raise vital funds and awareness to bring about change for people experiencing homelessness or at risk.
We Support
We keep it grassroots, we keep it local. We seek out, support and partner with small organisations and projects, in the communities where funds are raised.
Our Start Up Story
Supporting Grassroots Services
The team at StreetSmart believe everyone should have a safe and secure place to call home. Funds raised through our innovative campaigns are distributed through our Community Grants and Material Aid Programs, often privileging locality where donations are fed back into projects as close to where they are raised as possible, and target smaller services who work to support people experiencing homelessness.
At StreetSmart, for the past 20 years, we have championed and supported local grassroots organisations. We know local leaders, volunteers and community groups are best placed to identify what support their communities need, and have solutions and mechanisms in place that work for them and their community. They are the lifeblood of so many suburbs, towns and regions and play a critical role in creating caring and resilient communities.
We see the role of StreetSmart as a supportive ally for those on the frontline of service delivery to the most vulnerable in our community. These front-line services are often under-resourced, have limited fundraising capacity and find making formal applications for funding challenging. We support these organisations to plug funding gaps, run core programs and enable them to innovate and test new ideas. We listen to their ideas and needs and support them to deliver critical services and change. Collaboration and listening are core to our community impact and we deeply respect the vital work of frontline workers.
We Believe
Status: StreetSmart Australia is a Public Benevolent Institute with DGR 1.
National Board of Directors
Charlie is passionate about addressing homelessness and also leads his firm's pro bono program, partnering with Justice Connect advising on residential tenancy matters for women and children at risk of homelessness. Outside of work, Charlie is also involved in community programs through his involvement in surf life saving, where he served as a president of a large club and oversaw strategic planning and major capital works.
She has also been a mentor with Melbourne Advertising Design Creativity’s not-for-profit The Aunties since 2022. The Aunties is Australia’s largest mentoring movement for women and marginalised genders in the creative industries.
Jess is most passionate about deploying her skills to have the largest positive impact possible, and is incredibly inspired by the wide reaching impact of StreetSmart. She is currently earning her MBA at Melbourne Business School and brings strong experience in earned, owned and shared media to the board team.
Siba believes that safe housing is a basic human right that impacts all facets of our society. She has spent over two decades volunteering in the not-for-profit sector with a particular focus on advocacy and social justice, assisting the most vulnerable in our communities. Siba has worked as a volunteer lawyer with JusticeConnect and QPILCH, providing advice and representation at the homeless persons legal clinic. She has volunteered with Frankfurter Tafel to collect and distribute food to underprivileged persons. She organises an annual fundraiser for Foodbank Australia and has set up the corporate governance framework for Binarri-binyja yarrawoo Aboriginal Corporation. Siba has also assisted the Women's Legal Service Victoria in drafting its submissions to the Royal Commission into Family Violence on economic abuse and recovery. Prior to joining the StreetSmart board, Siba was a board member of the Les Twentyman Foundation.
Having previously lived in Sydney for nine years and with family ties in Melbourne, Australia is as much a home to him as the United Kingdom. Barry is deeply inspired by StreetSmart Australia’s mission. He admires the organisation’s inclusive and purposeful approach, which has mobilised the goodwill of communities, collaborators, and supporters to address homelessness.
As a member of the StreetSmart Australia board, Barry is committed to leveraging his expertise and passion to contribute to this impactful team and their ongoing efforts to make a positive difference in the lives of vulnerable Australians.
In her current role, Anna regularly represents clients experiencing or at risk of homelessness on a pro bono basis. Having previously worked as a lawyer and trainer for not-for-profits, Anna is passionate about ensuring the sustainability of grassroots community organisations that support people impacted by Australia's housing crisis. Anna has been on the StreetSmart board since 2019, bringing to the organisation her experience in not-for-profit service delivery and expertise in not-for-profit law and governance.
Staff
Members
Geoff Hills
Isabella Stanley
Liz Bayrak
Cynthia Mac Caddon
Benjamin Bugeja
Adam Robinson
Geeta Buttery
Sustainability & Social Impact
At StreetSmart our team supports all 17 UN Sustainable Development Goals and believes in the power of community to make the goals a reality. We are playing our part in creating the world we want to live in.
We want to use our work and our influence to advance human rights, protect the environment, uphold labour standards, end corruption and be a force for good.
Importantly, our grant making directly contributes to the aims of thirteen of the SDGs. To find out more click here.
Acknowledgement of Country
As an organisation that operates from inner Melbourne, we acknowledge the peoples of the Kulin nation, the Traditional Owners of this land. We pay our respects to their Elders, past and present. StreetSmart delivers our work on unceded land across Australia which always was, and always will be, Aboriginal land.
As an organisation that works to bring about change for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, we believe that First Nations peoples are unacceptably over-represented among those who experience housing insecurity. StreetSmart believes in supporting First Nations led solutions to homelessness. Read our full statement and learn more about how our work supports First Nations led Organisations.
Sponsors and Partners
The work of StreetSmart Australia is made possible through the vision and financial support of a number of private philanthropists, corporate partners and pro-bono partners.
Whistleblower Policy
View our Whistleblower Policy HERE
Grant Making
StreetSmart plays a unique role in the homelessness sector providing funding and support for smaller community-based and grassroots homelessness and community services. Please read our full Grant Making Guidelines HERE
Work for us
There are currently no positions available.
