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We Are Mobilise & Catherine House are empowering women on their journey out of homelessness

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In 2024, Mobilise proudly partnered with Catherine House, a South Australian organisation supporting women experiencing homelessness. This collaboration has already had a life-changing impact, helping 25 women and their families access financial support at the right moment, to continue rebuilding their lives.

“Working in partnership with We Are Mobilise allows the flexibility to access funding based on each woman’s unique set of needs and circumstances. This tailored approach allows women to exercise choice and control – an important part of their recovery journey.” – Catherine House

 
How does this partnership work?

Catherine House refer their clients into our direct giving programs, we provide funding and they provide ongoing case management and wrap-around support services. The two main programs are:

  • Mobilise Kickstarter – A rental assistance program where we cover bond and two months’ rent to get people into housing or remain in their current housing.
  • Mobilise Pay – A year-long support package for single-mother families and their children covering utility bills, groceries and children’s extra-curricular activities.

These programs were designed through collaboration with other homelessness services to understand their gaps and pain points, and direct support to the most effective places.

“At Mobilise, we wanted to build programs that amplified the incredible work that other charities were already doing. By providing flexible and fast funding to their clients, they can get more women out of crisis accommodation, into stable homes, and have more capacity to support people with the most acute needs.” – Noah Yang, We Are Mobilise CEO

“The Mobilise programs offer something we simply could not provide to our clients. The additional support ensures women can feel empowered to make financial decisions that they otherwise would not have been able to make.” – Jaylee Cooper, Manager of Philanthropy and Engagement, Catherine House

 
About Catherine House

Catherine House provides accommodation and support services to women experiencing homelessness, with a strong focus on recovery and empowerment. They address not just the need for safe shelter, but also the complex challenges women face – including mental health, domestic violence, and financial insecurity. Their services are holistic and trauma-informed, offering women a genuine pathway to independence and long-term stability.

 

The right support at the right time

Through this partnership, women who are ready to transition out of Catherine House receive financial support through Mobilise’s direct giving programs. Together, these programs provided over $60,000 in direct support in 2024.

  • 22 women received support through the Mobilise Kickstarter program, enabling them to transition out of crisis accommodation and into longer-term housing.
  • 3 women have been supported through the Mobilise Pay program, each receiving up to $10,000 to help lay the foundation for long-term financial independence and wellbeing.

 

The impact

Hear from one of our Mobilise Pay & Kickstarter participants, Krystle. She recorded this video to say thank you to Nedd Brockmann for his fundraising efforts in 2024 that enabled Mobilise to scale these programs.

Through the Pay program, Mobilise covers extra-curricular activities for her three kids and utility bills for a year, which has relieved some financial stress while she recovers from being homeless. Krystle is now enrolled in studies at TAFE and looking to start work now that her children are in school. 

She reflected on the impact of being able to take her kids to swimming lessons:

“It’s nice to know my kids aren’t missing out. I sit back with a big smile just watching my daughters and how they’re developing, how they’re learning, watching their confidence.

It’s helped me as well because I’m able to converse with the other parents or teachers and that’s helped bring me out of my shell a lot because I’m more involved within the community.

I’m able to bond with [my kids] more closely when doing different activities outside of the house.”

Everything Krystle describes is exactly why we created the Mobilise Pay program – to enable families who’ve experienced homelessness to better connect with their communities and improve their sense of belonging and wellbeing.

 

Addressing the root causes of women’s homelessness

Women who experience homelessness often face a unique set of financial challenges. Many have endured financial abuse, taken time out of the workforce for parental responsibilities, or are navigating the ongoing effects of the gender pay gap and superannuation inequality.

By offering direct, flexible funding, our partnership with Catherine House helps women take real steps toward financial security – not just for themselves, but for their children too.

“Mobilise Pay will mean a brighter future for women and their children.” – Catherine House

“We couldn’t be more proud to be working side by side with Catherine House to transform the lives of women throughout South Australia. The pilot of the Mobilise Pay program has already led to so many incredible stories of transformation and we couldn’t have picked a more fitting partner for this journey. The team’s passion and clear care for the women they work with has led to the amazing outcomes and we can’t wait to continue making an impact together.” – Noah Yang, We Are Mobilise CEO

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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