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All about StreetSmart

This is what we are all about. We believe no one should be without a safe and secure place to call home.

About Us | We Believe

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 know what it’s all about. 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.

Staff

Members

Alan White

CEO

Adam Robinson

Chief of Impact

Charlotte Bloodworth

Charlotte Bloodworth

Special Projects Officer

Tom Saras

Communication and Engagement Coordinator

National Board of Directors

Jerry Marston

Chair

Daniel Creasey

Member

Simon Fenech

Member

Sally Hines

Member

Melissa McGregor

Member

Barry Moore

Member

Jeremy Yipp

Treasurer

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 learn more about this, 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

Impact Manager

About The role

This role is responsible for bringing StreetSmart’s impact strategy to life through the design, delivery and continuous improvement of our grant making and material aid programs.

It leads the development and implementation of a national grant making program that is flexible, accessible and aligned to community need, ensuring funding reaches grassroots organisations delivering practical responses to homelessness. Alongside this, the role oversees the ongoing delivery and evolution of the material aid program SleepSafe, ensuring it continues to provide meaningful, high-quality support to community partners and the people they serve.

A core focus of the role is ensuring that StreetSmart’s work is informed by lived experience, community insight and sector knowledge. This includes engaging closely with partners, identifying emerging needs and translating these into clear funding priorities and program responses. The role also leads impact measurement and reporting across grants and programs, ensuring that insights are captured, translated into meaningful narratives and used to strengthen both program delivery and broader engagement.

Working across the organisation, the role connects impact with fundraising, partnerships and communications, ensuring that strong program delivery is clearly understood and contributes to the growth of funding and support for the sector. The role is supported by organisation-wide operational and tech/data support, alongside fundraising and communications staff.

As part of StreetSmart’s transition into its 2026–2030 strategy, this role plays a key part in shaping how the organisation evolves its impact model. It will be supported and mentored by the organisation’s founder over the coming months as part of a broader succession and transition process.

About you

This role suits someone who combines strategic thinking with a strong focus on action, and who is motivated by supporting practical, community-led responses to homelessness.

A background in grant making, program delivery and social impact is important, along with a solid understanding of the community services landscape and contemporary Australian philanthropic practice. There is an ability to take insight and translate it into programs that are both effective and accessible, particularly for smaller, grassroots organisations.

A strong orientation toward listening and learning from lived experience and community partners is essential, with the ability to reflect this in funding approaches, program design and decision making. There is also a clear understanding of best practice, balanced with a willingness to evolve and adapt in line with strategy and emerging need.

You’ll have confidence working with data and impact reporting is important, alongside the ability to communicate outcomes in a clear and compelling way to a range of audiences. Collaboration comes naturally, with an ability to work across teams and with external partners to deliver shared outcomes.

Strong organisational capability, adaptability and comfort working in a small, dynamic team environment are key. The role also operates as a thought partner to the CEO, contributing to the delivery and ongoing evolution of StreetSmart’s strategy.

Above all, this role will appeal to someone motivated by purpose and interested in shaping how funding, programs and partnerships can better support people experiencing homelessness across Australia.

ADDITIONAL BENEFITS

  • We are fortunate to work out of Gate 8, in East Melbourne, an NGO shared work space, which includes an onsite cafe, restaurant, 24-hour gym, end of trip facilities and bike storage
  • Flexible work arrangements, with work from home opportunities
  • Salary packaging available

NEXT STEPS

Click here to apply.

StreetSmart Australia is an Equal Opportunity Employer. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people, people with disabilities, LGBTQIA+ people, people with lived experience of homelessness and intersectional challenges, and culturally and linguistically diverse people are strongly encouraged to apply. We are happy to adjust our recruitment process to support accessibility needs.

For questions, contact Alan White (CEO) at alan@streetsmartaustralia.org using the subject line: Impact Manager enquiry.

A position description is attached.