Safe, stable housing underpins health, education, employment and social connection. Across Australia, rising rents, limited supply and cost-of-living pressures are pushing more people into housing insecurity and homelessness.
Government support remains critical, but demand far exceeds capacity. Around 280,000 Australians seek homelessness assistance each year, while many low-income renters face severe housing stress and little financial buffer.
Philanthropy can help fill gaps and drive innovation by meeting immediate needs, strengthening prevention, supporting affordable housing and community-led solutions, and backing policy and advocacy for lasting change.
The organisations below span crisis response, wraparound support, systems reform and specialist services for communities most affected by housing insecurity, showing how philanthropy can help ensure everyone has a safe, secure home.
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Crisis Support
Supporting people with immediate housing, financial and practical assistance during times of crisis
We Are Mobilise: Transforming responses to homelessness through direct financial support and measurable social impact
📍National
We Are Mobilise is transforming how Australia responds to homelessness through direct, evidence-based financial support. Working alongside a national network of charity partners, it provides the infrastructure for rapid funding to help people secure and sustain housing, while building the evidence for direct cash transfers as an effective and dignified response to housing insecurity.
Why we recommend: We Are Mobilise combines innovative, trust-based approaches with practical support for people experiencing or at risk of homelessness. Through direct giving programs, housing assistance, strategic partnerships and a commitment to testing new solutions, the organisation addresses immediate needs while contributing to longer-term systems change. Its focus on dignity, choice, collaboration and measurable social impact aligns closely with contemporary best-practice philanthropy principles.
Refuge Victoria: Supporting LGBTIQA+ victim-survivors to recover and rebuild
📍Victoria
Refuge Victoria supports people escaping family violence with safe accommodation and specialist recovery services. Its Refuge to Recovery Program provides tailored, trauma-informed support for LGBTIQA+ communities, recognising the unique barriers they can face when seeking safety, housing, and long-term stability.
Why we recommend: Refuge Victoria’s Refuge to Recovery Program is a compelling philanthropic investment because it addresses a demonstrated service gap for LGBTIQA+ victim-survivors of family violence, is community-designed and evidence-informed, combines crisis intervention with long-term recovery support, and advances equity for a population that faces significant barriers to accessing mainstream services. The program’s evaluation findings and collaborative delivery model provide confidence that philanthropic funding can contribute to meaningful and lasting social outcomes.
Housing and Support Services
Helping people move from homelessness into stable housing, with support to maintain long-term security
Launch Housing: Helping people move from homelessness to safe and stable housing
📍Victoria
Launch Housing works to end homelessness by combining crisis support with long-term housing solutions. Through outreach, homelessness prevention, supportive housing and advocacy, the organisation helps people secure safe, stable homes while working to address the systemic causes of homelessness across Victoria.
Why we recommend: Launch Housing is a meaningful giving opportunity because it combines immediate homelessness support with evidence-based, long-term housing solutions. Through its Housing First approach, supportive housing programs, policy leadership and commitment to increasing the supply of affordable housing, Launch Housing delivers both direct impact for individuals and broader systems change. Its scale, track record and focus on sustainable housing outcomes align closely with contemporary philanthropy’s emphasis on impact, prevention and long-term change.
Women’s Property Initiatives: Creating permanent, affordable homes for women and children
📍Victoria
Women’s Property Initiatives (WPI) is Victoria’s only national community housing provider dedicated exclusively to women and children. WPI develops and manages permanent, affordable homes for women facing housing insecurity, while advocating for structural change to improve housing outcomes and economic security for women.
Why we recommend: Women’s Property Initiatives addresses the growing crisis of housing insecurity among women through the provision of safe, permanent and affordable homes. By focusing on long-term housing solutions, advancing gender equity and helping break cycles of poverty and homelessness, WPI delivers both immediate benefits for vulnerable women and children and lasting community impact. Its proven ability to leverage philanthropic support into the creation of new housing assets aligns strongly with contemporary best-practice philanthropy principles.
Preventing homelessness
Stopping homelessness before it occurs through tenancy support, family violence responses and practical assistance
Hutt Street Centre: Building pathways to housing stability, wellbeing, and social connection
📍 South Australia
Hutt Street Centre supports people at risk of or experiencing homelessness in Adelaide to move towards a life with stability, connection, and dignity. Alongside essential services, it provides health, employment and wellbeing support, while advocating for systemic solutions to end homelessness.
Why we recommend: Hutt St Centre is an impactful organisation to support because it combines immediate assistance for people experiencing homelessness with holistic pathways toward long-term housing stability, wellbeing and social inclusion. Through its person-centred approach, extensive service network and commitment to helping people achieve “homefulness”, Hutt St Centre addresses both the immediate impacts and underlying causes of homelessness. The organisation’s focus on empowerment, connection, collaborative service delivery and long-term social outcomes positions it as a strong fit for impact-oriented philanthropy.
Shelter Housing Action Cairns (SHAC): Preventing homelessness for families in Far North Queensland
📍 Queensland
Shelter Housing Action Cairns (SHAC) provides housing and homelessness services across Far North Queensland. Working alongside individuals and families experiencing housing insecurity, SHAC delivers practical support, tenancy assistance, and homelessness prevention while advocating for greater access to safe and affordable housing.
Why we recommend: SHAC is a compelling option for funders because it helps families experiencing or at risk of homelessness move towards long-term housing stability through a comprehensive range of supports, including temporary accommodation, tenancy sustainment, financial counselling, no-interest loans and intensive family support. With a strong focus on prevention, early intervention and culturally responsive services – particularly for First Nations families – SHAC addresses both the immediate challenges and underlying drivers of homelessness. Its commitment to strengthening family wellbeing, financial resilience and sustainable housing outcomes aligns closely with contemporary best-practice philanthropy.
Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG): Advancing housing security for older Australians
📍 Victoria
Housing for the Aged Action Group (HAAG) is a community-based organisation specialising in the housing needs of older people by supporting those at risk of homelessness to access safe, secure, and affordable housing. HAAG empowers members and clients by elevating the voices of older people to raise awareness, shape their services, and support advocacy and policy reform.
Why we recommend: HAAG tackles one of Australia’s fastest-growing and often overlooked challenges: housing insecurity and homelessness among older people, particularly older women. Through its Home at Last program, HAAG provides practical housing assistance, advocacy and navigation support for older people at risk of homelessness, while also leading research, policy reform and community education to address the structural drivers of housing insecurity. By combining direct service delivery with systems-change advocacy, HAAG helps older Australians access safe and affordable housing while advancing greater housing justice. Its focus on prevention, empowerment and lasting housing outcomes makes it a compelling investment for funders seeking to improve the lives of vulnerable older Australians while contributing to broader social and systemic change.
Advocacy and policy reform
Addressing the causes of housing insecurity through policy reform, research and advocacy
Justice Connect: Removing legal barriers to safe and secure housing
📍 National
Justice Connect improves access to justice for people experiencing disadvantage. Through the organisation’s Homeless Law service, Justice Connect provides free legal assistance to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, helping remove legal barriers that can prevent people from securing and maintaining safe housing.
Why we recommend: Justice Connect is an impactful organisation to support because it addresses one of the often-overlooked drivers of homelessness: lack of access to legal support. Through its specialist Homeless Law program, Justice Connect provides integrated legal and social work assistance to people experiencing or at risk of homelessness, helping prevent evictions, resolve tenancy disputes and remove legal barriers to stable housing. Its innovative, partnership-based model combines direct support with advocacy for fairer housing and tenancy laws, enabling both immediate assistance for vulnerable individuals and broader systems change. By tackling the structural causes of housing insecurity and helping people remain safely housed, Justice Connect delivers lasting social impact and contributes to a more equitable housing system.
Everybody’s Home: Driving policy reform to address the drivers of housing insecurity
📍 National
Everybody’s Home is a national campaign bringing together housing, homelessness, welfare, and community organisations to advocate for lasting housing reform. The campaign works to build public support and influence policy so that everyone in Australia has access to a safe, secure, and affordable home.
Why we recommend: Everybody’s Home is a strong investment for donors seeking systems-level solutions to Australia’s housing crisis. As a national advocacy campaign supported by hundreds of housing, homelessness and community organisations, Everybody’s Home works to influence policy, strengthen renter protections and increase investment in social and affordable housing. Rather than providing direct services, the campaign focuses on addressing the structural drivers of housing insecurity through research, public engagement and policy reform.
Community-led and specialist support
Supporting communities disproportionately affected by housing insecurity through tailored services
Asylum Seeker Centre: Providing essential support to people seeking asylum
📍 New South Wales
Asylum Seeker Centre supports people seeking asylum to live safely and with dignity while their refugee claims are assessed. Alongside housing assistance, the Centre provides practical support, legal services, healthcare, employment pathways, and community connection to help people rebuild their lives.
Why we recommend: Asylum Seekers Centre is a meaningful giving opportunity because it provides essential support to people seeking asylum who often have limited access to government services. Through healthcare, employment assistance, food relief, casework and community programs, the Centre helps people meet immediate needs while building pathways to independence and inclusion. Its combination of practical support and advocacy contributes to a more compassionate and equitable society.
Noongar Mia Mia: First Nations-led housing solutions
📍 Western Australia
Noongar Mia Mia is a First Nations-owned and managed housing organisation providing safe, affordable, and culturally secure housing for Aboriginal people and families. Through affordable housing, property management, and community-led support services, the organisation helps strengthen housing security while promoting self-determination and long-term wellbeing.
Why we recommend: Noongar Mia Mia delivers culturally safe, Aboriginal-led housing solutions that help First Nations people move from homelessness and housing insecurity into stable housing. Through tenancy support, housing pathways and Housing First programs, the organisation combines practical assistance with community leadership and self-determination, creating lasting outcomes for Aboriginal families and communities. Its community-controlled model aligns with evidence that First Nations-led solutions achieve stronger and more sustainable outcomes, making it particularly appealing to funders interested in Indigenous self-determination, housing justice and long-term systems change.
This is not an exhaustive list of organisations. Find a wide range of funding proposals on our Funding Platform. Filter by location, cause area and target population to find a project that aligns with your funding interests.
For funders interested in learning more about the housing justice movement, you may consider attending Foundations for Housing Justice: Lessons from around the world, an online webinar hosting by Australian Progress on August 26, 2026. Find details and register here.
