What SHARC does

SHARC (Self Help Addiction Resource Centre) is a not-for-profit charitable organization headquartered in Carnegie, Victoria, Australia, founded in 1995 through the amalgamation of two earlier entities (1983 and 1987). The organization provides peer-based support services for individuals and families affected by alcohol, other drug (AOD), and gambling harm, organized around four core programs: APSU (consumer participation), Family Drug & Gambling Help, Peer Projects, and Residential Peer Programs. SHARC supports over 12,000 individuals and families annually through a 24/7 helpline, support groups in multiple Melbourne locations, education programs (InFocus, BreakThrough), residential recovery, counselling, and the Flipside magazine and Straight From the Source podcast.

SHARC operates a community-led, lived-experience-centric model funded primarily by the Victorian Department of Health, with a 50+ person staff and trained volunteer base. In November 2024, SHARC became the lead agency for the Lived and Living Experience at Heart (LLEAH) program, an organizational support initiative delivered in partnership with the Department of Health, Yale University, Mental Health Victoria, and Dr Louise Byrne, encompassing The Learning Collaborative (TLC) and Supporting Organisational Lived Experience (SOLE) projects. It also leads The Collective, a partnership of LLE agencies (Harm Reduction Victoria, VMIAC, Tandem, CLEW), and operates the MYAF program for the Islamic community in partnership with Odyssey House, Salvation Army, and YSAS. The Regina Brindle Foundation, hosted by SHARC, awards annual grants of up to $5,000 to consumer-led projects. SHARC also auspicied CLEW (Carer Lived Experience Workforce) and co-founded Our Agency with VMIAC in 2022 in response to the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System.

The organization is structured as a company limited by guarantee (ABN 18 052 525 948), governed by a board of directors, and led by CEO Clare Davies following the transition from former CEO Heather Pickard. Deputy CEO Nic Thompson passed away in January 2025. Revenue is not publicly disclosed, and the organization's financial model is a hybrid of government grants, donations (including Rotary Albert Park), and philanthropic grants, with all services delivered free of charge to participants. SHARC has been commended in the Australian Federal Parliament and is an active advocate on policy matters including cannabis cautioning reform, gambling advertising, and naloxone access.

Name

SHARC

Legal name

Self Help Addiction Resource Centre Ltd

Website

https://sharc.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1995

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

SHARC is a Victorian not-for-profit providing peer-based support for individuals and families affected by alcohol, drug, and gambling harm via a 24/7 helpline, residential programs, support groups, and workforce training, serving over 12,000 people annually.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Carnegie

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B and B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

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

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: SHARC is a not-for-profit organization (ABN 18 052 525 948) that receives government funding from the Victorian Department of Health for various programs including the LLEAH program, AOD services, and mental health support. The organization also operates as a registered charity.
2. Donations: SHARC receives donations from community organizations and supporters. Rotary Albert Park made a generous donation towards the betterment of those within the community.
3. Regina Brindle Foundation Grants: Grants of up to $5,000 awarded annually to consumer-led projects that promote consumer voices, community engagement, reduce stigma, and promote human rights in AOD and mental health sectors.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels7 records

Marketing channels7 records

Core offering

SHARC is a not-for-profit organisation that delivers peer-based alcohol, other drug (AOD), gambling, and mental health support services. Its core offerings include a 24/7 Family Drug & Gambling Helpline with LiveChat, peer support groups across Victoria, residential recovery programs, the APSU consumer participation and advocacy program, the Family Drug & Gambling Help support and education services, the Peer Projects lived-experience workforce development program, and the LLEAH organisational support program launched in November 2024 in partnership with the Victorian Department of Health and Yale University.

Product overview

SHARC (Self Help Addiction Resource Centre) is a not-for-profit organisation providing a comprehensive suite of peer-based support services for individuals and families affected by alcohol, other drugs, and gambling. The organisation operates a multi-program portfolio centred on lived experience leadership, including APSU (consumer participation), Family Drug & Gambling Help (support services), Peer Projects (workforce development), and Residential Peer Programs (recovery support). Key initiatives include The Collective partnership, CLEW (Carer Lived Experience Workforce), and LLEAH (Lived and Living Experience at Heart) launched in 2024. SHARC supports over 12,000 individuals and families annually through telephone helplines, education programs, counselling, peer support groups, residential recovery, consumer representation, and workforce training, with programs operating locally across Victoria and increasingly nationally.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• APSU (Association of Participating Service Users): Consumer participation and advocacy program featuring Flipside magazine, Speaker Bureau, and training sessions.
• Family Drug & Gambling Help
• Peer Projects
• Residential Peer Programs
• The Collective
• LLEAH (Lived and Living Experience at Heart)
• CLEW (Carer Lived Experience Workforce)

Products and services

• APSU (Association of Participating Service Users) Consumer participation and advocacy program for people with lived experience of AOD use, offering a platform to share stories, participate in advisory committees, publish Flipside magazine, contribute to the Straight From the Source podcast and access Speaker Bureau opportunities.
• Family Drug & Gambling Help (FDGH) Support service for families, friends, carers and supporters affected by a loved one's drug use or gambling, delivered through the 24/7 helpline, LiveChat, family support groups and education workshops (InFocus, BreakThrough).
• Peer Projects Support and development programs for the lived experience workforce, including Intentional Peer Support training, resources and communities of practice for AOD and mental health peer workers.
• Residential Peer Programs Residential recovery support programs providing peer-based accommodation and recovery support for individuals working towards drug-free lifestyles.
• LLEAH (Lived and Living Experience at Heart) Organisational support program for Victoria's mental health and alcohol and other drug sectors, delivered through The Learning Collaborative (TLC) and Supporting Organisational Lived Experience (SOLE) initiatives to embed lived experience leadership within sector organisations.
• The Collective Partnership of Lived and Living Experience agencies led by SHARC, providing training, workforce development, supervision access, Communities of Practice and scholarship programs for the LLE workforce.
• CLEW (Carer Lived Experience Workforce) Peer-led community and safe space for members of the designated, employed family carer lived experience workforce, providing networking, supervision access, professional development and leadership opportunities.
• LLEW University Scholarship Program Scholarships of up to $13,000 for lived and living experience workers to undertake university qualifications in management and leadership.
• Regina Brindle Grant Program Annual grants of up to $5,000 for grassroots consumer-led projects that promote consumer voices, community engagement, reduce stigma and promote human rights in AOD and mental health sectors.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 12,000 individuals and families supported annually
• +3 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments6 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, major and minor.

• Department of Health VictoriacoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024Lead partner in the Lived and Living Experience at Heart (LLEAH) program - an organizational support program for Victoria's mental health and AOD sectors. The Department provides over $51 million in funding for LLEW development since 2020. LLEAH encompasses consumer and family/carer LLE workforces with the goal of recognizing, valuing, and supporting LLE workers.
• Yale UniversitycoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 November 2024International academic partner for the LLEAH program, contributing the proven The Learning Collaborative (TLC) model which has been adapted for the Victorian context. Yale experts provide technical guidance alongside Victorian advisers for the 12-month program supporting AOD and mental health organizations.
• The Collective PartnershipcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHARC serves as the lead agency for The Collective, a partnership of Lived and Living Experience (LLE) agencies including Harm Reduction Victoria, VMIAC (Victorian peak body for consumers of mental health services), Tandem (Victorian peak body for family, carers and supporters), and CLEW (Carer Lived Experience Workforce). The partnership supports LLE workforces through training, education, workforce development, supervision access, scholarship programs, and events/forums.
• Mental Health VictoriamajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartner in the LLEAH program contributing to organizational support for Victoria's mental health and AOD sectors. Co-host of the 2025 LLEW Forum.
• Dr Louise ByrnemajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerLLEW development expert and partner in the LLEAH program, contributing expertise to the Supporting Organisational Lived Experience (SOLE) project and The Learning Collaborative (TLC).
• MYAF Partnership (Odyssey House Victoria, The Salvation Army, YSAS)majorStrategic or Co-development PartnerSHARC partners with Odyssey House Victoria, The Salvation Army, and Youth Support and Advocacy Service (YSAS) in the Muslim Youth Adult & Families (MYAF) program, funded through North Western Melbourne Primary Health Network. The program provides culturally appropriate support for the Islamic community experiencing AOD issues.
• Alcohol and Drug FoundationminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCollaborated on new series of downloadable stigma posters encouraging inclusive and person-centred language to reduce impact of stigma for people who use AOD. Part of broader efforts to address alcohol and drug stigma.
• TLC Participating OrganizationsmajorStrategic or Co-development Partner11 organizations participating in TLC 2026: Cohealth, Grampians Health, Neami National, Orygen, Bayside Health Peninsula, The Royal Children's Hospital, Turning Point, Uniting, Windana, The Victorian Collaborative Centre for Mental Health and Wellbeing, and Department of Health.

Scale indicators4 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• Harm Reduction Victoria: Harm Reduction Victoria is a peer-led drug user organization and a founding partner in The Collective alongside SHARC. Both organizations center lived experience leadership in advocacy and service delivery for people who use drugs.
• Neami National: Neami National is a Victorian mental health and AOD community support provider and a TLC pilot participant. It is directly comparable to SHARC in delivering peer-based mental health and wellbeing services across Victoria.
• Odyssey House Victoria: Odyssey House Victoria is a residential AOD treatment provider in Melbourne and an explicit MYAF program partner with SHARC. Both organizations deliver residential recovery services and serve culturally diverse communities in Victoria.
• Turning Point: Turning Point is a Melbourne-based alcohol, drug and addiction research and treatment organization operating clinical services across Victoria. It is a TLC pilot participant and directly comparable to SHARC as a Victorian AOD service provider serving overlapping populations and stakeholders.
• YSAS (Youth Support and Advocacy Service): YSAS is a Victorian youth-focused AOD organization partnering with SHARC on the MYAF program. Both organizations deliver AOD support services in Victoria with overlapping referral pathways and a shared advocacy stance on drug policy reform.
• Windana Drug and Alcohol Recovery Services: Windana is a Victorian AOD recovery organization offering residential and community programs similar to SHARC's Residential Peer Programs. It is also a TLC pilot participant, indicating direct operational overlap in serving individuals recovering from addiction.
• VMIAC (Victorian Mental Illness Awareness Council): VMIAC is Victoria's peak body for mental health consumers and a Collective partner with SHARC. Both organizations advocate for lived experience leadership and jointly deliver the Our Agency Project responding to Royal Commission recommendations.

Broad incumbents

• The Salvation Army (Australia): The Salvation Army is a large national AOD service provider and an MYAF program partner with SHARC. It offers overlapping AOD, family support, and crisis services at much larger scale across multiple states, making it a broad incumbent rather than direct niche peer.
• Uniting (Victoria): Uniting is a large Victorian community services provider offering AOD, mental health, and family services across a broad portfolio. It is a TLC pilot participant, indicating operational overlap with SHARC, but at much larger organizational scale.
• Alcohol and Drug Foundation: Alcohol and Drug Foundation is a national community-based AOD prevention organization collaborating with SHARC on stigma reduction campaigns. Both work on AOD literacy and stigma, but ADF operates at national prevention scale while SHARC focuses on direct service delivery.

Market position

Strengths4 records

Weaknesses4 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks5 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/WeAreSHARC
• Facebookfacebook.com/SHARCVictoria
• Instagraminstagram.com/sharc_org
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/sharc

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles5 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about SHARC