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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

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.

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

1

Housing is a Human Right

No Australian should be homeless, housing is a human right and everyone should have a safe, stable, secure and affordable place to call home
2

Homelessness is Complex

Homelessness is complex and sits at the intersection of many personal vulnerabilities, there are many contributing factors to be tackled, but we know from world wide evidence that it is preventable and solvable
3

Homelessness is a Systems Failure

Homelessness is a systems failure, though it is often framed as an individual choice
4

There are Leading Contributors

Poverty, a chronic lack of affordable housing and domestic and family violence, are the leading contributors to homelessness
5

Homelessness is Solvable

The provision of housing and supportive services is critical in solving homelessness, and we support a Housing First response when appropriate
6

Homelessness Should be Rare

If it is experienced, homelessness should be rare, brief and non-recurring
7

Help is Essential

People experiencing homelessness often require the provision of critical crisis support to provide basic essentials and stabilise their lives
8

Prevention is Crucial

We work to prevent people from becoming homeless through supporting programs that encourage social inclusion, empowerment, employment and sustainable change
9

Lived Experience is Invaluable

People with lived experience of homelessness bring invaluable insight and guidance for frontline service provision and policy development. Their voices should be elevated.

Status:  StreetSmart Australia is a Public Benevolent Institute with DGR 1.

National Board

of Directors

Charlie Pitney (Interim-Chair / Secretary)

Jennifer O’Donnell (Treasurer)

Barry Moore (Board Member)

Anna Lyons (Board member)

Siba Diqer (Board member)

Leigh McLeod (Board Member)

Jess Cheney  (Board Member)

Vidit Agarwal  (Board Member)

 

 

Staff

Members

Geoff Hills

CEO

Isabella Stanley

Impact Coordinator

Liz Bayrak

Community Campaign & Events Coordinator

Cynthia Mac Caddon

Head of Partnerships

Benjamin Bugeja

Digital Campaign Manager

Adam Robinson

Chief of Impact

Geeta Buttery

Tech Lead

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. 

Read Full Statement

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.