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We Are Mobilise’s Cyclone Alfred Response: Working with Micah Projects in QLD to provide emergency accommodation.

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Over the past week, We Are Mobilise has been working closely with charities in QLD and northern NSW to ensure that people experiencing homelessness had a safe and dry place during the cyclone. One of those organisations is Micah Projects – one of the biggest providers of specialist homelessness services in QLD, located in Brisbane.

Operating for almost 30 years, they provide a range of integrated support and advocacy services tailored to each person’s unique needs and capacity. They have been working around the clock to ensure that people have safe places to sleep during Cyclone Alfred. 

Mobilise and Micah Projects already have a strong partnership where we provide funding to their clients that enables them to move into or remain in housing (Mobilise Kickstarter Program) and Micah provides their specialist, wrap-around support services so together we get the best outcomes for people facing homelessness. So, it was a no-brainer for Mobilise to try to support Micah Projects in any way we could during the cyclone. 

 
The impact

Over just a couple of days…

  • Mobilise and Micah Projects helped 11 individuals who had been sleeping rough and 1 family who had been couch surfing to move into motels and keep safe from the cyclone
  • Mobilise funded $23,436 in temporary accommodation
  • This covered a total of 77 nights of accommodation
 
How did it work?

The Micah team set up a safe place with beds in South Brisbane, where they coordinated access to temporary crisis accommodation, like motels.

We Are Mobilise was able to release funding immediately to pay for motels, rather than Micah having to take the time to source other funding for emergency accommodation. Mobilise’s flexible process meant we could focus on getting funds out quickly without being held up by admin, and Micah could focus on providing emergency care to people with the most acute needs.

 

We were able to support a number of people who had previously not engaged with Micah and have now consented to engage. This means more people are now connected with homelessness support and in the system.

 

Together with Micah Projects, we were able to get Tiana and her daughter into the emergency accommodation they needed.  

Karyn Walsh, Micah Projects CEO said, “We’re grateful for Mobilise being able to so quickly and flexibly support us in getting people into accommodation during the cyclone and the flooding here in Brisbane.”

We Are Mobilise CEO, Noah Yang reflected, “Our partnership model means we can work collaboratively and rapidly with frontline services to get the best outcomes for people experiencing homelessness. As the Micah team was working tirelessly to provide critical on-the-ground care, Mobilise was able to unlock flexible funding immediately so people could have a roof over their heads in the most difficult of times.”

 

A huge shout out to the team at Micah Projects for all the work they do on the front line supporting those experiencing homelessness, and to our own programs team at Mobilise, for working so quickly to distribute the funding needed to get people into safe accommodation during a crisis.

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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