Companion House

What Companion House does

Companion House is a non-government, community-based non-profit organisation headquartered at 41 Templeton St, Cook, ACT, Australia, providing free, integrated services to adults and children who have sought safety in Australia from persecution, torture, and war-related trauma. Founded in 1989 as Transact (Treatment and Rehabilitation and Network Service of the ACT) and renamed in 2000, the organisation operates as the ACT member agency of the FASSTT (Forum of Australian Services for Survivors of Torture and Trauma) network, which comprises eight specialist rehabilitation agencies across Australia and is funded via the Commonwealth's Program of Assistance for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (PASTT). Companion House is governed by a board chaired by Manar Ahmed, with Kathy Ragless serving as Director and Dr Christine Phillips as Medical Director, overseeing a team of approximately 12 staff including medical practitioners, practice nurses, adult and children's counsellors, case workers, community development officers, and a Training Team Leader.

The service portfolio comprises six core offerings delivered from the Cook Community Hub (Monday-Friday, 9:30am-5pm): Medical Services (general practice with bulk billing, long consultations, and interpreter use, plus facilitated referrals to dental, allied health, and specialists); Counselling Services (specialist trauma counselling for adults, young people, and a dedicated children's early-intervention program dating from 1996); Community Development (discussion groups, sporting activities, gardening, cooking, playgroups, and cultural celebrations); Training and Professional Development (free sessions delivered onsite to other organisations serving refugee backgrounds); Migration Advice and Referral (including the Immigration Advice and Application Assistance Scheme, IAAAS, first launched in ACT in 2010); and management of the Cook Community Hall. A supplementary programme is the Laptop Rehoming Project, which refurbishes donated laptops with Linux/Ubuntu and LibreOffice and distributes them to clients at no cost. There is no proprietary technology platform; all services are human-delivered.

The revenue model is non-commercial. All client-facing services are free of charge. Funding is drawn from three streams: Commonwealth PASTT grants routed through the FASSTT network, tax-deductible public donations processed via the GiveNow platform, and modest annual membership fees. The go-to-market motion is community-led: clients self-refer or are referred by other community organisations, government agencies, GPs, and partner entities. Marketing channels are limited to the organisation's website, Facebook page, YouTube channel, and direct outreach. Distribution is single-site within the ACT region, with a deliberate operational boundary: Companion House is one of eight agencies, each serving its respective state/territory, rather than a multi-site operator.

Name

Companion House

Legal name

Companion House, Assisting Survivors of Torture and Trauma

Website

https://companionhouse.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

Companion House is a non-profit community organisation in Cook, ACT, Australia, delivering free medical, counselling, community development, training, and migration advice services to refugees and asylum seekers in the ACT as the local member of the FASSTT network.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Cook

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Others, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Primary funding from the Program of Assistance for Survivors of Torture and Trauma (PASTT), which is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. FASSTT receives funding through its member agencies.
2. Donations: Donations from the public to support the wellbeing of people from refugee backgrounds. Donations assist with purchase of medications for asylum seekers, emergency financial support including bus tickets and food vouchers, and support for refugee community events. All donations are tax deductible.
3. Membership Fees: Annual membership helps fund valuable services and is a way of showing support for the work of Companion House. Members receive direct news emails and can keep in touch with activities and news.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

Companion House is a community-based non-profit providing a coordinated suite of free services for adults and children who have sought safety in Australia from persecution, torture, and war-related trauma. Core services include general practice/primary medical care with bulk billing and interpreter support, specialist trauma counselling for adults, young people and children, community development programs (discussion groups, sport, gardening, cooking, playgroups, cultural celebrations), training and professional development for organisations working with refugees, and migration advice including the IAAAS scheme in the ACT.

Product overview

Companion House is a non-government community-based organization offering a coordinated suite of services for adults and children who have sought safety in Australia from persecution, torture, and war-related trauma. The organization operates as a single integrated service portfolio comprising six core services: Medical Services (general practice with bulk billing and interpreter support), Counselling Services (for adults, children, and young people), Community Development programs, Training and Professional Development, Migration Advice (including IAAAS), and the Cook Community Hall hire service. A notable supplementary program is the Laptop Rehoming Project which provides donated computers to clients. All core services are free of charge and designed to respect, empower, and promote recovery.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Medical Services

Named customers2 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Eight partnerships are on record, tiered core and minor.

• FASSTT (Forum of Australian Services for Survivors of Torture and Trauma)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFASSTT is a network of Australia's eight specialist rehabilitation agencies working with survivors of torture and trauma. Companion House is the member agency for ACT. FASSTT is a not-for-profit funded by its member agencies using resources from PASTT, which is funded by the Commonwealth Department of Health and Ageing. The network was established in 1992.
• Life Without BarriersminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLife Without Barriers facilitates the Status Resolution Support Services (SRSS) program and may be able to provide support and assistance to asylum seekers in the ACT and region.
• Australian Red Cross ACTminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRed Cross provides help and support to refugees, asylum seekers, immigration detainees and other vulnerable people. They help with setting up new homes, learning about communities, connecting to services like Medicare, schools, improving English, learning new skills, and linking with job and volunteering opportunities.
• Canberra Refugee SupportminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCanberra Refugee Support provides volunteer support for refugees, assisting with settlement and advocacy and providing policy advice to government.
• TIS National (Translating and Interpreting Service)coreTechnology or IntegrationTIS National is provided by the Department of Immigration and Citizenship. It provides access to over 1900 contracted interpreters across Australia speaking more than 170 languages. Available 24 hours a day, seven days a week for immediate telephone interpreting and pre-booked telephone and on-site interpreting.
• GiveNowminorChannel Partner/ Reseller/ DistributorGiveNow is an online donation platform used by Companion House to accept tax-deductible donations from the public to support the wellbeing of people from refugee backgrounds.
• ACT HousingminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompanion House established the Refugee Transitional Housing Program in 2007 as a tripartite agreement with ACT Housing and CatholicCare to provide transitional housing for six months for refugees and asylum seekers.
• CatholicCareminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCompanion House established the Refugee Transitional Housing Program in 2007 as a tripartite agreement with ACT Housing and CatholicCare to provide transitional housing for six months for refugees and asylum seekers.

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves16 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Regional players

• Multicultural Australia: Multicultural Australia (formerly Access Community Services) is a Queensland-based refugee settlement and community support organization. It shares Companion House's refugee-focused mission and settlement services, but operates in a different state jurisdiction.

Broad incumbents

• Settlement Services International (SSI): SSI is a large, broad-scope refugee settlement and community services organization operating across NSW and nationally. It overlaps with Companion House on refugee settlement, capacity building, and training, but at a much larger scale and with a broader service portfolio.
• Australian Red Cross: Australian Red Cross is a strategic partner of Companion House and runs a national refugee and asylum seeker support program (settlement, English, employment, healthcare linkage). It overlaps with several of Companion House's functions but at a much larger scale.

Direct peers

• Migrant Health Service (South Australia): The Migrant Health Service is the South Australian FASSTT member delivering torture and trauma rehabilitation. It is a direct geographic peer serving the same vulnerable client population through a comparable integrated medical and counselling model.
• STARTTS (NSW Service for the Treatment and Rehabilitation of Torture and Trauma Survivors): STARTTS is the FASSTT member agency for NSW and delivers clinical, counselling, and community-based rehabilitation services for survivors of torture and trauma. It is directly comparable to Companion House by service portfolio, funding source (PASTT), and target population.
• Victorian Foundation for Survivors of Torture (Foundation House): Foundation House is the Victorian member agency of the FASSTT network, providing the same integrated torture and trauma rehabilitation services (medical, counselling, community development) for refugee survivors in Melbourne — making it the closest peer by mission, service model, and federal funding structure.
• Phoenix Centre (Western Australia): Phoenix Centre is the WA FASSTT member providing torture and trauma rehabilitation services. As another state-level peer within the same national network, it shares funding, service design, and population focus with Companion House.
• STTARS (Survivors of Torture and Trauma Assistance and Rehabilitation Service): STTARS is the FASSTT member agency for Queensland, offering specialized counselling, advocacy, and community development for refugee survivors of torture. It mirrors Companion House's role within its state and shares the same PASTT-funded network model.
• Asylum Seeker Resource Centre (ASRC): ASRC is Australia's largest asylum seeker-specific aid organization, providing food, medical care, legal aid, and casework. While not part of FASSTT, it is directly comparable to Companion House in serving the same asylum seeker cohort with free, multi-disciplinary support.

Others

• Jesuit Refugee Service Australia: JRS Australia provides accompaniment, advocacy, and casework for asylum seekers and refugees, particularly those in detention or on temporary visas. It is thematically and operationally adjacent to Companion House, focusing on a similar vulnerable population.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/companionhouse
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/companionhouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/companion-house

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles8 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 Companion House