……. Photo: Community Support Frankston
Supporting 18 frontline organisations to strengthen workforce wellbeing
A huge thank you to our incredible community, who backed our SmartCare appeal and helped drive real impact through supporting prevention in the fight against homelessness.
Together, we funded 18 grassroots organisations focussing on something often overlooked but absolutely critical. The wellbeing of the workforce itself.
Frontline homelessness work is complex, demanding, and under increasing pressure. Workers and volunteers are supporting people through crisis while navigating rising demand, funding uncertainty, and systems that too often fall short. Over time, that strain builds, increasing the risk of burnout, stress, and vicarious trauma across the sector.
This funding allows these organisations to do something that is rarely prioritised but always needed.
Support the people supporting others, and strengthen the system through supporting prevention, not just crisis response.
72,000
18
55
What supporting prevention means for our communities
Across the country, organisations are using these grants in ways that respond directly to the realities of their teams. As one organisation shared:
“Investing in staff wellbeing now is both a proactive and preventative measure. It will enable us to sustain our workforce, reduce turnover, and maintain the quality and continuity of care for our clients during a period of heightened demand.”
This is what supporting prevention looks like in practice. Investing early, strengthening teams, and keeping services sustainable.
Focusing on volunteers
“These self-care and wellbeing workshops will provide a supportive space for volunteers to reflect, build confidence, and develop practical strategies to look after their own wellbeing while continuing to show up for others.”
– The Hut Community Centre (Pictured)
Responding to sustained pressure
“Demand for our services has significantly increased… This funding will aim to strengthen staff wellbeing, build resilience, and ensure our team is supported to continue delivering high-quality services.”
– Alice Springs Youth Accommodation Support Services
Support grounded in cultural strength and healing
“Our staff, the majority of whom are First Nations, give a lot of themselves… we will give them a day of trauma-free, well-being-focused cultural workshops.”
– Noongar Mia Mia (pictured)
Seeking out and supporting 18 smaller grassroots organisations
At its core, this grant round is about supporting prevention by making sure the people delivering care can continue to show up, day after day.
| Organisation | State | Grant Amount |
| Alice Springs Youth Accommodation & Support | NT – Alice Springs |
$4,000.00 |
| Annie North | VIC – Loddon | $4,000.00 |
| Bendigo Family and Financial Services Inc | VIC – Bendigo | $4,000.00 |
| Community Support Frankston | VIC – Southern metro |
$4,000.00 |
| Diamond Valley Community Support Inc | VIC – NE metro | $4,000.00 |
| Edon Place | QLD – Bundaberg | $4,000.00 |
| Elizabeth Morgan House | VIC – Northern metro |
$4,000.00 |
| Emerge Support | VIC – Bayside metro |
$4,000.00 |
| Haymarket Foundation | NSW – Sydney | $4,000.00 |
| Merri Outreach Support Service (MOSS) | VIC – Northern metro |
$4,000.00 |
| Noongar Mia Mia | WA – Perth | $4,000.00 |
| Short Term Accommodation for Youth – STAY | WA – Geraldton | $4,000.00 |
| Southern Peninsula Community Information & Support Centre |
VIC – Southern metro |
$4,000.00 |
| The Hut Community Centre | SA – regional | $4,000.00 |
| Yana | VIC – Eastern metro |
$4,000.00 |
| YP Space MNC | NSW – Mid North Coast |
$4,000.00 |
| Zig Zag Young Women’s Resource Centre | QLD – Brisbane | $4,000.00 |
| Zoe Family Support | VIC – Mildura | $4,000.00 |
| Total Grants | $72,000.00 |
Our commitment to supporting frontline specialist homelessness services goes beyond our grant-making work. We empower and enable services as much as we can through our advocacy, and we also listen to them.
We’ve known for a long time that homelessness workers navigate trauma, housing instability, family violence, mental health crises and deep financial distress every day.
So, we ran a Frontline Staff Wellbeing Survey to listen, understand and learn more about what’s happening across the sector, and it helped inform this round of grants.
You can read the report and a little more on how we’re responding here.
Thanks to our donors and supporters, $72,000 has been distributed to 18 grassroots organisations, strengthening the wellbeing of frontline workers and reinforcing a prevention-focused response to homelessness.
We’re always keen to connect with philanthropists, trusts, foundations and companies looking to partner for meaningful impact. If that sounds like you, reach out to partners@streetsmartaustralia.org.
