National Homeless Collective

What National Homeless Collective does

National Homeless Collective is an Australian non-profit charitable organization headquartered in Brunswick East, Melbourne, founded in 2015 (growing out of the earlier Period Project initiative) and operating across five states/territories — Victoria, Queensland, South Australia, Northern Territory, and Western Australia. The organization is founder-led by Donna Stolzenberg, a First Nations woman recognized as a Victorian Australian of the Year finalist, and runs a 5-employee operation supported by an extensive volunteer and partner network. Its mission addresses homelessness and adjacent social disadvantages through a portfolio of nine specialized programs: Sisters In Safe Housing (rent/bond assistance for domestic violence survivors), The Period Project (sanitary products for period poverty), The School Project (educational supplies for displaced children), SleepingBags 4 Homeless (survival gear for rough sleepers), The Plate Up Project (hospitality training for DV survivors), The Kala Space (flexible-employment social enterprise), Black Packs (essential supply packs), the Pyjama Project, and Op Shop Plus (a combined charity retail store and domestic violence safe space in Brunswick East), plus seasonal Christmas and Easter appeals.

The underlying delivery model is operational rather than technological: there are no proprietary software platforms, AI systems, or digital products. Programs are executed through a hybrid of direct street outreach, warehouse operations (Port Melbourne and Wynnum), partner-organization distribution (Orange Sky Australia, Anonymous X, Fr Bob Maguire Foundation, Launch Housing, Drummond Street Services, Brimbank Council, DAIWS), retail at Op Shop Plus, MP-office drop-off points, and third-party logistics (StarTrack) reaching remote communities such as Yuendumu in the Northern Territory. No technology architecture, API, or AI capability is disclosed.

Revenue is generated through individual public donations (tax-deductible over $2), corporate grants (e.g., Westpac Foundation $10,000, SunSuper Dreams For A Better World competition win, Metcash ~$2,500 in product), government grants (City of Port Phillip $9,800), Op Shop Plus retail sales, and fundraising events (raffle of a Ford Mustang, Christmas appeals). All services and goods are provided free of charge to beneficiaries. The organization explicitly identifies as 'not a funded charity,' and revenue figures are not publicly disclosed; cumulative disclosed grants remain in the low tens of thousands of AUD per year, suggesting annual income below $1M AUD. Notable impact milestones include 10,000+ sleeping bags distributed cumulatively, 1,550 sleeping bags in a single winter campaign (2018), 2,000+ Christmas toys, nearly 900 Period Packs in a two-hour volunteer event, and gifts to 118 children at DAIWS.

Name

National Homeless Collective

Legal name

National Homeless Collective

Website

https://nhcollective.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

2017

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

1–10 employees

Short description

National Homeless Collective is an Australian non-profit, founded in 2015 and led by Donna Stolzenberg, operating nine programs across five states to address homelessness, domestic violence, period poverty, and social disadvantage for rough sleepers, DV survivors, displaced children, and First Nations communities.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Homelessness and Social Services

NAICS

Community Housing Services (62422), Emergency and Other Relief Services (624230), Community Food Services (624210)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

Keywords

• Homeless services
• Charity programs
• Social welfare
• Community support
• Humanitarian aid

Headquarters

HQ city

Port Melbourne

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices4 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain, Others

Revenue model

1. Public Donations: The organization relies on public donations from individuals to support its charitable programs and operations.
2. Corporate Grants: Grants from corporations such as Westpac Foundation ($10,000 grant) to fund specific programs like employment pathway initiatives for domestic violence survivors.
3. Government Grants: Government grants including $9,800 from City of Port Phillip to extend the Plate Up Project.
4. Op Shop Revenue: Revenue from Op Shop (charity retail store) operations combined with community space and meditation den.
5. Fundraising Events: Various fundraising activities including raffles (Ford Mustang), Christmas appeals, and sleeping bag drives.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels8 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

National Homeless Collective is an Australian registered charity that delivers free, direct-aid programs to people experiencing homelessness, including housing support, period products, school supplies, sleeping bags, and employment training. It supplements these programs with a charity op shop and is funded through donations, grants, sponsorships, and merchandise sales.

Product overview

National Homeless Collective is a charity organization offering a portfolio of social support programs rather than a unified technology product. The organization runs multiple distinct initiatives including Sisters In Safe Housing (housing financial assistance), The Period Project (sanitary products), The School Project (children's educational support), SleepingBags 4 Homeless (sleeping bag distribution), The Plate Up Project (hospitality employment training), The Kala Space (flexible employment workspace), Op Shop Plus (retail with DV support), Black Packs, Pyjama Project, and seasonal Christmas/Easter appeal programs. These services are provided through community funding and donations, with no software product or platform architecture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Housing Assistance Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 10,000+ sleeping bags distributed to homeless individuals
• +5 more outcomes

Named customers10 records

Segments8 records

Ideal customer profiles3 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

20 partnerships are on record, tiered major, minor and core.

• MetcashmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated approximately $2,500 worth of products (shampoos, conditioners, sanitary items, deodorants). Also rallied suppliers Johnson & Johnson, Colgate Australia, and Unilever to contribute hundreds more product donations.
• kikki.KminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerTeam joined packing day to pack 40 school bags for kids in crisis accommodation. Corporate volunteer engagement.
• Gift Box OrganicminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProduct donation partner providing organic tampons for period packs distributed to those in need.
• Anonymous XcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerMajor distribution partner with outreach teams that deliver sleeping bags and necessities directly to people sleeping rough on Melbourne streets. Critical partner in sleeping bag distribution program.
• Orange Sky AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner organization that delivers sleeping bags through their outreach services to homeless individuals.
• Fr Bob Maguire FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerFoundation partner that helps deliver sleeping bags through outreach teams to people experiencing homelessness.
• Market in a BoxmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDonated 10 fruit and vegetable hampers plus $300 for Christmas food hampers. Regular supporter of food relief efforts.
• Drummond Street ServicescoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOngoing partnership delivering play bags (40 with 240+ items), sanitary pads (1,450) and nappies (432) to clients during COVID lockdown.
• Brimbank CouncilcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership with Brimbank Council's Foodbank during COVID-19 to supply sanitary items, toiletries, nappies and formula to isolated families.
• Yuendumu School (NT)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerRemote school supported with health and hygiene items for Senior School Fellas program, preventing program cancellation.
• DAIWS (Darwin Aboriginal & Islander Women's Sanctuary)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLong-term supported refuge for Aboriginal women and children in NT. Annual Christmas party support providing gifts for 118 children. Shipped 40 gift boxes via StarTrack.
• Launch HousingcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCrisis housing organization that identifies clients in need and requests assistance - bikes, school supplies, and other essentials for displaced families.
• Furniture & Mattress DepotminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerProvided complete house furniture setup for newly housed individual including couches, bed, tall boy, dining suite, TV stand, kitchen items, and linens at reduced/bargain prices.
• VollyspotminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerEvent venue partner - charity partner for events like Max Graef, providing food service to 600 partygoers while raising funds.
• StarTrackcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerLogistics partner shipping donated items to remote communities including Northern Territory locations like Yuendumu.
• Page 8 MorningtonminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity organization that raised $1,680 through gift wrapping donations for The School Project.
• Left Bank (Melbourne)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner venue for events and support.
• The Homeless Period Project (USA)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerInternational partnership with US sanitary supply organization. Joint 'Period Party' making nearly 900 Period Packs in two hours, with items shipped to schools and shelters.
• Bunnings (Coburg)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerBunnings Coburg provided venue for fundraising sausage sizzle event to raise money for sleeping bags. Staff (Steph and Sharon) helped organize.
• Steven Marshall MPminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerState MP provided his Norwood office as drop-off point for Essentials 4 Women SA donation drive.

Scale indicators12 records

Recent moves4 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• Melbourne City Mission: Victoria-based community services organization providing homelessness, education, and family support services. Comparable in geography and multi-program approach, with deeper institutional funding and longer operating history.
• Salvation Army Australia: Australia's largest homelessness and social services provider with national reach across emergency relief, housing, family violence, and community programs. Direct overlap with NHC's holistic service model, but at vastly greater scale and with institutional funding NHC currently lacks.
• Mission Australia: National homelessness, housing, and community services organization operating across all Australian states. Comparable in wraparound approach (housing, employment, youth services), significantly larger in scale and government contract portfolio.
• Anglicare Australia: Federated network of community services organizations delivering homelessness, family, and aged care services nationwide. Comparable in holistic wraparound service model and faith/community roots, with deeper government contracting relationships.
• St Vincent de Paul Society Australia: National charity providing emergency relief, housing, and support across Australia. Comparable in volunteer-driven model and immediate-relief focus (food, furniture, household goods), with substantially larger scale and Op Shop retail network similar to NHC's Op Shop Plus.

Emerging players

• The Period Project (international network): US-based partner organization collaborating with NHC's Period Project on international period poverty initiatives (joint 'Sanitary Sisters' partnership). Directly comparable in mission and product offering (sanitary supply distribution) but operating in different geography.

Direct peers

• Launch Housing: Major Melbourne-based crisis and transitional housing provider. Listed as an NHC partner organization that requests assistance for clients, making it a directly comparable homelessness/housing service provider operating in the same geography and beneficiary base.
• Orange Sky Australia: Australian volunteer-powered charity providing free laundry and shower services to people experiencing homelessness. Listed as an NHC distribution partner (Orange Sky delivers sleeping bags through outreach), making it the closest comparable in mission, scale, and volunteer-driven Australian homelessness services model.
• Sacred Heart Mission: Melbourne-based organization providing meals, housing, and community support to people experiencing homelessness and disadvantage. Comparable in community-led model, immediate relief focus, and Melbourne-based service area.
• The Big Issue Australia: Social enterprise providing income-generation opportunities for people experiencing homelessness through magazine sales. Comparable in social enterprise model (similar to NHC's Kala Space and Op Shop Plus), Australian focus, and homelessness mission — though focused on vendor income rather than direct service delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/Secretwomenssanitary
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/national-homeless-collective

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Subsidiaries9 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 National Homeless Collective