What YWCA Australia does

YWCA Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation headquartered in South Melbourne, operating across 19 communities in five Australian states and territories (NSW, VIC, QLD, NT, SA) with more than 200 employees in 17 locations. Founded in 1880 and consolidated as a single national entity in 2018 through the merger of eight state branches, YWCA is a Tier 2 Community Housing Provider owning or managing more than 460 social and affordable homes, delivering approximately 130,000 nights of safe accommodation annually and supplying 92 additional housing tenancies by February 2026 via a AUD $67.6 million development pipeline.

The organisation's core products and services span five verticals: Housing Services (social and affordable housing via YWCA National Housing and YWCA Housing); Family and Domestic Violence Support (case management, safety planning, and the Keeping Women Safe in Their Homes and Home Safe programs in Darwin, Shoalhaven, and Wingecarribee); Homelessness Support (Inner-City Rapid Response, CASY House youth crisis accommodation in Darwin, and the Women's Housing Support Program at Lakehouse in Melbourne); Children and Family Services (Communities for Children in Lismore and Murwillumbah, Kids 4 LIFE Supported Playgroups); and Mentoring and Leadership Pathways (Asista, Youth Frontiers, First Nations Women's Leadership Program, Amplifying Voices). YWCA has also developed proprietary intellectual property that is sector-distinctive: the Women's Housing Framework (a four-domain model covering Participation, Safety, Agency, and Wellbeing), the Women's Liveability Assessment Tool (a free online audit instrument launched in November 2024), and Gender Responsive Design Guidelines authored with UTS.

YWCA's revenue model is a hybrid of government grants (the largest stream, sourced from the Commonwealth Department of Social Services and State/Territory agencies including NT Government, NSW Government, VIC DFFH, and Queensland Housing), rent from social and affordable housing tenancies (set at approximately 30% of tenant income), profits from the Song Hotel social enterprise in Sydney, and individual donations and workplace giving. Distribution is direct-service via staffed offices and a centralised intake line (1800 920 333), with referrals routed through government agencies and partner organisations. The customer base is individual women and gender diverse people experiencing housing insecurity, family violence, or homelessness, with First Nations women, young people aged 15-24, and families with young children as priority sub-segments. Leadership is provided by Group CEO Diana Sayed (appointed 2024) and a skills-based Board chaired by Robyn Clubb AM.

Name

YWCA Australia

Legal name

YWCA Australia

Website

https://ywca.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1880

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

YWCA Australia is a national not-for-profit organisation operating as a Tier 2 Community Housing Provider, delivering social and affordable housing, family violence support, homelessness services, and leadership programs for women and gender diverse people across 19 communities in Australia.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Social and Affordable Housing Services

NAICS

Other Community Housing Services (624229), Individual and Family Services (6241), Community Housing Services (62422), Rooming and Boarding Houses, Dormitories, and Workers' Camps (72131)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300), Hotels, Rooming Houses, Camps & Other Lodging Places (7000)

akta.pro primary industry

Emergency Shelter, Camp Management & Non-Food Items (NFI) (BPAGAAAC)

akta.pro secondary industries

Emergency Shelter, NFIs & Winterization for Displaced Populations (BPADAHAG), Maternal, Newborn, Child & Adolescent Health (MNCAH) NGOs (HLAJAKAG)

Keywords

• Women's housing services
• Social and affordable housing
• Domestic violence support
• Homelessness services
• Community housing provider

Headquarters

HQ city

South Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices6 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Infrastructure, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: YWCA Australia receives significant funding from Commonwealth and State/Territory governments to deliver housing, homelessness, family violence, and community services programs.
2. Housing Rental Income: Rental income from social and affordable housing properties. Rent is set at approximately 30% of tenant income for social housing.
3. Song Hotel Revenue: Song Hotel in Sydney is a profit-for-purpose business where proceeds are reinvested into YWCA programs and services.
4. Donations and Contributions: Individual donations, workplace giving, and gifts in wills from supporters.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels6 records

Core offering

YWCA Australia is a national not-for-profit organization that builds and operates social and affordable housing for women and gender diverse people, delivers family and domestic violence support, homelessness services, children and family programs, and mentoring and leadership pathways. The organization owns or manages 460+ social and affordable homes across Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland and delivers services across 19 Australian communities through YWCA National Housing (Tier 2 Community Housing Provider) and Song Hotel, a profit-for-purpose hotel.

Product overview

YWCA Australia offers a comprehensive suite of services focused on housing, family and domestic violence support, homelessness services, children and family programs, and mentoring and leadership pathways for women and gender diverse people. The organization operates as a housing provider with over 460 social and affordable homes across multiple states. Core services include housing (via YWCA National Housing and YWCA Housing), family and domestic violence support (Darwin DFVC, Keeping Women Safe in Their Homes, Home Safe Program), homelessness support (Housing Support Program, CASY House, Tenancy Sustainability Support Program), children and family services (Communities for Children, Kids 4 LIFE Playgroups, Connected Families), and mentoring programs (Amplifying Voices, First Nations Women's Leadership Program, Asista Mentoring, Youth Frontiers). The organization has also developed intellectual property including the Women's Housing Framework, Women's Liveability Assessment Tool, and Gender Responsive Design Guidelines. Song Hotel operates as a profit-for-purpose social enterprise supporting the organization's mission.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Housing Services YWCA builds and operates social and affordable housing for women and gender diverse people. YWCA National Housing is a Tier 2 Community Housing Provider managing over 460 homes across Victoria, South Australia, and Queensland.
• Family and Domestic Violence Support Programs and services including case management, safety planning, security upgrades, counselling, and referrals. Operates in Shoalhaven, Wingecarribee, and Darwin regions through the Domestic and Family Violence Centre, Keeping Women Safe in Their Homes, and Home Safe Program.
• Homelessness Support Services supporting people to access safe and affordable housing, case management, and referral to specialist services. Operates Housing Support Program, CASY House Youth Crisis Accommodation, Tenancy Sustainability Support Program in Sydney, Darwin, and Melbourne.
• Children and Family Services Programs supporting individual needs around positive family functioning, safety, and child development. Includes Communities for Children, Kids 4 LIFE Supported Playgroups, Connected Families (Young Parents Program in Darwin), and programs in Northern Rivers.
• Mentoring and Leadership Pathways Pathways to build skills, knowledge and confidence for young women and gender diverse people. Includes Lived Experience Leadership programs (Amplifying Voices, First Nations Women's Leadership Program), youth mentoring (Asista Mentoring, Youth Frontiers, Strong Sisters), Y Connect professional development program, and leadership opportunities (Young Women's Council, Board Traineeship).
• Song Hotel Profit-for-purpose hotel business in Sydney where proceeds are reinvested into YWCA Australia programs and services. Originally opened in 1984 as Y Hotel.
• Medical Accommodation Programs Comfortable accommodation to people travelling to Darwin for medical appointments or treatment. Operates Barbara James House and Doctor Helen Phillips Cottages through the Northern Territory Government's Patient-Assisted Travel Service.
• Women's Liveability Assessment Tool Free online audit tool that helps community housing providers, governments and other housing providers to ensure their housing meets the unique needs of women residents. Covers four key domains drawn from the Women's Housing Framework.

Quantifiable outcome

• 130,000 nights of safe accommodation provided annually
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments7 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Ten partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• Anglicare NTcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2025Partnership with Anglicare NT to co-lead the Lived Experience Advisory Group (LEAG) for the Northern Territory Homelessness Strategy 2025-2030. YWCA and Anglicare work together to create a safe, inclusive space for LEAG participants with lived experience of homelessness to shape policy and service reform.
• Housing All AustralianscoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Housing All Australians to deliver the Lakehouse co-living facility in South Melbourne - an innovative 'pop up' facility repurposing a vacant aged care facility to provide housing for women.
• Kids First AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Kids First Australia to deliver the Youth Frontiers Mentoring Program, utilizing the power of role models to support young people aged 10-17 in contact with youth justice and child protection systems.
• Australian Government Department of Social ServicescoreOthersFunded by the Australian Government Department of Social Services to deliver Communities for Children program in Lismore and Murwillumbah, supporting early childhood development and family wellbeing.
• Northern Territory GovernmentcoreOthersFunded by NT Government for multiple programs including Domestic and Family Violence Centre, Keeping Women Safe in Their Homes, Home Safe Program, Amplifying Voices, and Medical Accommodation Programs (Barbara James House and Doctor Helen Phillips Cottages).
• YWCA CanberraminorOthersAffiliate organization of YWCA Australia, collectively working towards positively impacting lives of women, young women and girls as part of the World YWCA global network.
• YWCA Hunter RegionminorOthersAffiliate organization of YWCA Australia, collectively working towards positively impacting lives of women, young women and girls as part of the World YWCA global network.
• Per Capita Centre for Equitable HousingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership to produce 'Housing That Pays Back' report demonstrating that housing investment delivers strong returns for people and across the system.
• RMIT UniversityminorOthersRMIT University conducted evaluation of the Women's Housing Support Program at Lakehouse in 2024.
• Communities for Children Partner OrganizationscoreChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorNetwork of local service providers including Aruma, Interrelate, Redinc (Lismore) and The Family Centre, Therapy Matters (Murwillumbah) providing prevention and early intervention programs for children and families.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Sacred Heart Mission: Melbourne-based community organisation providing crisis accommodation, housing, and support services to people experiencing homelessness and disadvantage — comparable service model and beneficiary focus.
• Community Housing Limited (CHL): Large Tier 1 community housing provider operating social and affordable housing across Australia and internationally — comparable in housing portfolio, Tier status, and government funding model.
• Launch Housing: Major Melbourne-based specialist homelessness and community housing provider with significant affordable housing stock — directly comparable operating model, tenant profile, and government contracting approach.
• Mission Australia: One of Australia's largest community housing and homelessness providers delivering social and affordable housing, family services, and youth programs — directly comparable in service breadth, funding model, and target populations.
• Anglicare Australia: National network delivering community services, family support, and housing assistance across Australia; YWCA already partners with Anglicare NT on the NT Homelessness Strategy Lived Experience Advisory Group.
• Women's Housing Ltd: Specialist women's housing and homelessness provider in Victoria — directly comparable niche focus on gender-responsive housing for women experiencing disadvantage.

Broad incumbents

• Salvation Army Australia: Major national faith-based provider of crisis accommodation, family violence support, homelessness services, and social housing — overlapping with YWCA across multiple service lines but at materially larger scale.
• St Vincent de Paul Society Australia: National not-for-profit delivering emergency relief, housing assistance, and family support across Australia — overlapping mission and target populations at a broader community scale.
• BaptistCare: Large national faith-based provider of social services, aged care, and community housing across Australia — overlapping housing and family services portfolio with broader sector coverage.

Emerging players

• Mind Australia: National psychosocial disability and community mental health provider — adjacent peer operating in the social services space with some overlap in support service delivery to vulnerable populations.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/YWCAAustralia
• Xx.com/YWCAAus
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/ywca-australia

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles18 records

Subsidiaries3 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about YWCA Australia