We Are Mobilise

Supporting single mother families to pay their bills

WHAT IS MOBILISE PAY?

As our commitment to direct giving initiatives evolve, Mobilise Pay takes centre stage, focusing on the unique challenges facing single-mother families. This year-long program goes beyond financial assistance, utilising a voucher and gift system to cover necessities like utilities, groceries, and extracurricular activities for children.

In addition to these tangible benefits, Mobilise Pay facilitates access to vital third-party services, including financial counselling and resources promoting healthy living.

By holistically addressing the needs of single mother families, we aim to provide not just immediate relief but also the tools and support necessary for sustained stability, even in the face of economic uncertainty.

WHY WE LAUNCHED THIS PROGRAM

Homelessness is affecting more Australian women. Women are disproportionately facing homelessness, accounting for 81.7% of the 6,067 increase of people experiencing homelessness in 2021.(1)

Healthy food is out of reach for many families.
Spending over 30% of household income on food places families in financial stress.(3) Research suggests low-income households spend approx. 33% of their income on food, (4) putting them above this threshold.

Utilities are a major driver of financial stress.
Existing support schemes for utility bills are progressive and go some way to supporting people doing it tough, but the scale of this financial hardship for essential services shows that more and longer-term assistance is needed. The rising cost of energy bills are impacting affordability, with water bills also on the rise.

Extracurricular activities are out of reach for many, but play an important role in closing the gap between rich and poor.
Young people from poorer families and marginalised communities face many barriers to participating in sport and recreation, however the social, economic and health benefits of children participating in sport is crucial to their wellbeing and other outcomes. (2)

1. 1. ABS (2023) Estimating Homelessness: Census. Retrieved from https://www.abs.gov.au/statistics/people/housing/estimating-homelessness-census/latestrelease#:~:text=Females%20accounted%20for%2081.7%25%20of,(from%2041%20in%202016)
2. O’Donnell, A. & Redmond, G. (2021) The kids who’d get the most out of extracurricular activities are missing out – here’s how to improve access. Retrieved from https://theconversation.com/the-kids-whod-get-the-most-out-of-extracurricular-activities-are-missing-out-heres-how-to-improve-access-169447
3. Dieticians Australia (2022) New research shows eating for health and sustainability is cheaper for the household budget (and better for the planet) – Media release.
Retrieved from https://dietitiansaustralia.org.au/about-us/media-centre/new-research-shows-eating-health-and-sustainability-cheaper-household-budget-andbetter-planet-media

HOW DOES IT WORK?

Through our commitment to trialing direct giving programs, We Are Mobilise is excited to provide targeted support to single mothers with lived experience, or who are at increased risk of homelessness. 

Mobilise Pay uses a voucher and gift system to cover utility, grocery and extracurricular activity costs for a full calendar year. Program participants will also have access to third-party services provided by charities and not-for-profits as they wish, including financial counselling and healthy eating resources.

By covering the basics of maintaining a healthy family, Mobilise Pay aims to give single mothers the ability to sustainably maintain a family budget on low-income during a time of economic uncertainty

The pilot approach is shown below. Up to $10,000 in funding will allocted to each family across four expense areas.

Up to $2,500 towards utility debts

Up to $200 per month for water and energy bills 

Up to $2,000 in food vouchers 

Up to $2,000 in kids recreational activities

Each family will have different needs, and different expenses based on the number of dependent children. The total pool of funding will be determined according to the needs of the family, with minimum allocations in each of the four areas. Some examples are provided below. 

Meet Lucy, a single mother of two children.

Following a split with her partner, she has
struggled to keep up with the mortgage repayments on a
single salary, and she is becoming more and more in
arrears, in credit card debt and debt to utility companies
as time goes by. She can’t afford the rent it would take to
live in her suburb where her children go to school so cannot
afford to sell the house, finding herself at risk of
homelessness.

Lucy qualifies for Mobilise Pay while seeking support from a homelessness charity. As she only has two children, she
asks for the remaining $650 from extracurricular activities
to be put toward her debt with an electricity provider.

Meet Aditi, a single mother of five children. 

Aditi migrated to Australia with her husband a decade ago. Her husband became abusive after the birth of their first child, which worsened over the years. Now with five children together, Aditi has been able to leave the relationship with the support of a charity which provides her with counselling, but the wait for social housing has meant that Aditi and the children have to live temporarily with friends, which is not sustainable with such a big
family. The friends have given her six months to find a new home. Aditi is working with a homelessness charity but is finding it impossible to get on top of her finances and move into a private rental.

She qualifies for Mobilise Pay, and because she has no utility debt, has asked for the $2,500 in extra veggie vouchers instead to make sure her growing kids stay healthy

PROCESS OF BEING REFERRED INTO AND RECEIVING BENEFITS FROM THE PROGRAM

Case managers work directly with mothers to fill out the referral and consent forms in the program portal. facing homelessness, accounting for 81.7% of the 6,067 increase of people experiencing homelessness in 2021.(1)

We Are Mobilise assesses these referrals against eligibility criteria, working with case managers to address any questions. 

Mothers accepted into the program are notified and sent onboarding and consent forms, which case managers support them to complete.

A payment schedule is provided to the participating mothers, along with details of any vouchers they will be receiving. Utility payments will be made directly to utility companies in the form of debt repayment and pre-payment of bills. Recreational activities will be pre-paid directly to the providers.
Groceries can be ordered by the mothers through an account provided by We Are Mobilise.

Participants and case managers will receive a small number of surveys via email throughout the program duration, asking about their experience with the program and to measure what impact it may have on the lives of participants.

OUR PROGRAMS

Andrew Sloman

Andrew has recently joined the Board after initial conversations with Anthony and Noah where they expressed a desire to source risk, governance and financial expertise to the organisation and would Andrew recommend anyone from his networks.

So taken was Andrew with the organisation, the mission, strategy and people that he decided to contribute himself and leverage his 30 years experience as a registered company auditor, risk and internal audit practitioner.

As a Fellow of Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand, you can often find him criss crossing the Tasman Sea and mumbling the occasional word of Te Reo Maori. He also holds governance roles as a Board Member of the Victorian Local Governance Association and is an independent member of Risk Committees at the Richmond Football Club and the A.G. Coombs Group.

He is passionate about managing risk in sectors including charities/not-for-profits, Local Government, Sport and Sport Infrastructure, and you will find him most weekends at the MCG cheering on his beloved Tigers.

Jenna Downer

Having spent the last decade working across corporate and philanthropic partnerships, across both National Sporting Organisations, and international not-for-profits, Jenna is passionate about the human experience, believing we all have opportunity, and the responsibility to improve to world of tomorrow.

With attitude of curiosity, and a knack commercialising programs, Jenna creates value for organisations seeking to make tangible social impact, championing sustainable development principles across commercial and philanthropic partnerships. 

With a career built around relationships and networks, weekends mean are a change of pace, often spent at the dog park with a great Melbourne-brewed coffee in hand.

Trent Milvain

Trent is the Chief Operating Officer of Law Squared.

He has overseen the firm’s growth over the past eight years alongside Demetrio Zema and the business, laying and executing the firm’s strategy–from new legal and non–legal service lines to integrating teams across Australia, United Kingdom, and most recently an office in Auckland, New Zealand.

A sample of Trent’s responsibilities includes leading the firm’s culture, capability, and day-to-day operations.

His strategic approach has also led to the establishment of a Legal Technology function that provides helps corporate legal departments optimise their legal operations & technology.

Trent advises a Melbourne-based FinTech and is a founding board member for We Are Mobilse which is on a mission to positively transform the lives of those facing homelessness across Australia.

Previously, Trent worked as a Commercial Manager for one of Australia’s leading retail groups and has advised a construction firm in Melbourne.

In his free time, Trent enjoys learning and experiencing new things, spending time with friends and family, and watching live sports.

Chris King

Chris King

Chris is one of the founding volunteers of We Are Mobilise, which started in 2016 and has served as a director on the board since its conception.

Early in his time with We Are Mobilise, Chris realised the power of conversation and was troubled by the isolation that those facing homelessness felt. It became clear that the isolation was feeding a disconnect, not only from society but also from their sense of humanity; compelled by this, Chris continued to do what he could to recognise, acknowledge and help those living with homelessness.

Over the years, his role has changed from a more hands-on approach running the volunteer marketing team to a more strategic role assisting the full-time staff to grow We Are Mobilise to its most impactful state.

In his day job, although rarely just during the day, Chris is a founding employee of the creative business Bullfrog, specialising in communications, commercialisation and innovation. He primarily works across Production and Client Management for various national and international companies.

Anthony Alsop

Anthony Alsop

Attracted by the impact of multiple outreach experiences in 2022, Anthony joined the board of We Are Mobilise that year before assuming the role of Chief Marketing Officer in 2023.

His career journey spans the sports industry, with stints at the Australian Football League’s Richmond Football Club and Brisbane Lions as well as Tennis Australia, and Channel 7. Beyond our Aussie borders, he left his mark in the hustle and bustle of New York with the National Basketball Association.

Anthony’s passion is storytelling, having created documentaries, TV shows, and podcasts throughout his career. He’s not just a behind-the-scenes guy; he’s been in the executive hot seat and led communications during his tenure within the AFL. He leads our marketing function and infuses his unique storytelling into our branding, communications, partnerships, and fundraising efforts.

Off the clock, you’ll find Anthony playing basketball, at the movies, or hanging out with family and friends. Catch him in action from his appearance on ABC’s Hard Quiz for a dose of his lighter side.
Danielle Schutte

Danielle Schutte

Danielle joined the Mobilise board in 2021 after a conversation with Noah where they decided they could change the world. After 2 years of volunteering, she decided that the only way we could get there was to focus on the mission full-time, when she joined as Chief Operating Officer.

Danielle has always been interested in the big global systems that impact people’s lives every day and has built a career on trying to understand and change these for the better.

This long-time hospo worker journeyed through a Masters in Public Health, stints in advocacy, to management consulting in the health sector and a strategy at a large federal government agency.

She’s been able to use this to develop our flagship programs from scratch and build the back-end of Mobilise into a more efficient operation, and making sure we’re focussed on using technology to help us help our friends on the street. You can check out her weirder side in her passion project: a podcast mixing health technology and the healing powers of music.

Otherwise you can find her riding a scooter to a gig near you or doing circus aerial tricks (badly).

CEO Noah Yang

Noah Yang

Noah is the Founder of We Are Mobilise and currently serves as Managing Director/CEO.

Challenged by the understanding that no-one in Australia should have to sleep on the street, the Mobilise journey began when Noah and a friend set out with bags of bread to have conversations with those they met. Since that day, Noah has lead We Are Mobilise from a grassroots movement focused on assertive outreach through to an ACNC-registered national charity which has recently completed the $2 million+ Nedd Brockmann campaign – positioning it ready to deliver impact across its 3 core pillars.

Noah’s background was in management consulting and he has an inquisitive nature, passionate about leveraging commercial solutions to make a social impact.

He has coupled a diverse consulting experience with a global education, informing his passion for innovation and an eagerness to deploy an entrepreneurial approach to business building.

Outside of Mobilise, Noah enjoyed building a project called ‘ASX Investor’ – a digital media channel that amassed 25,000+ total followers and featured interviews with CEO’s from across the ASX.

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