Stepping Stone House

What Stepping Stone House does

Stepping Stone House is an Australian non-profit charity founded in 1989 by Max and Joan Connery in Sydney, NSW, providing medium- to long-term accommodation and personal development for children and young people aged 12-24 who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness. The organisation operates a proprietary five-stage continuum-of-care model called 'Stepping Stones to Independence', which progresses residents from 24-hour Residential Care through Semi-Independent Living, Independent Living, After-Care, and an Alumni program. Coverage has been extended beyond Sydney CBD with a Mortdale Independent Living location funded by The Chappell Foundation and delivered through MyFoundations Youth Housing.

The service portfolio is supported by specialised non-residential programs including Skills for Life (a curriculum of more than 800 life skills delivered virtually via Adobe Captivate through pro-bono support from Adobe ANZ), Career and Employment Pathways, Drive to Freedom (a driving mentorship scheme backed by DHL Express volunteer drivers), Adventure Education (snow camp, hiking, farm stays), Future Pathways, Re-Engage Work Readiness, and the Duke of Edinburgh Award program. There is no proprietary technology platform; the organisation relies on standard donation processing (PayPal), the Safewill online Will service, and third-party content delivery.

The business model is donation-funded rather than revenue-generating. Income streams disclosed are individual donations, corporate partnerships and sponsorships, event-based fundraising (Sleep Under the Stars, The Long Haul, Sailing Regatta, Bridge Day, Insight Tours, Impact Days), bequests and legacy gifts, and workplace giving. Donations are solicited with explicit impact tiers (e.g., $45 for one week of transport, $85 for one week of groceries, $500 for one year of education supplies, $2,000 for a confidence-building adventure). The organisation is funded through a diversified partner base that includes the Chappell Foundation, Goodman Foundation, Kennards Hire Foundation, Property Industry Foundation, DHL Express, Adobe ANZ, Outward Bound Australia, Lotus People, and SustainRecruit, with its assets protected by a separately incorporated charitable trust, Stepping Stone Foundation, established in 2017.

Name

Stepping Stone House

Legal name

Stepping Stone House Limited

Website

https://steppingstonehouse.com.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Stepping Stone House is an Australian non-profit charity providing medium- to long-term accommodation, life-skills training, and personal development programs for homeless and at-risk youth aged 12-24 in Sydney, NSW, through a five-stage continuum-of-care model.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Homelessness Services

NAICS

Child and Youth Services (62411), Other Community Housing Services (624229)

SIC

Services-Social Services (8300)

akta.pro primary industry

Youth Housing, Foster Care & Wraparound Support (Education-Linked) Nonprofits (BPAGADAO)

akta.pro secondary industries

Homelessness Prevention, Shelter & Supportive Housing Services (BPAIANAC), Housing Transition & Supported Living Navigation (EDAKANAK)

Keywords

• Youth homelessness services
• Residential care programs
• Out-of-home care
• Life skills training
• Charity fundraising events

Headquarters

HQ city

Sydney

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices2 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Infrastructure, Others

Revenue model

1. Individual Donations: Individual donors contribute one-time or recurring donations to support the organisation's programs and services for homeless youth.
2. Corporate Partnerships & Sponsorships: Corporate partners provide financial support, in-kind donations, volunteering, and event participation.
3. Event Fundraising: Annual fundraising events including Sleep Under the Stars, Sailing Regatta, Bridge Day, and The Long Haul generate revenue through participant fees and donations.
4. Bequests and Legacy Gifts: Supporters can leave gifts in their Will to Stepping Stone House, providing enduring legacy donations.
5. Workplace Giving: Employees can set up workplace-giving initiatives where donations are made pre-tax through employer programs.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels10 records

Core offering

Stepping Stone House provides medium to long-term accommodation and personal development programs for children and young people aged 12–24 who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Sydney. Its service suite is organised as the "Stepping Stones to Independence" continuum, moving residents from 24-hour staffed Residential Care through Semi-Independent Living and Independent Living, then into After-Care and Alumni engagement. Supporting programs include the Skills for Life curriculum (800+ life skills), Career and Employment Pathways, Drive to Freedom driving mentorship, Adventure Education, Duke of Edinburgh Award, Future Pathways, and Re-Engage Work Readiness.

Product overview

Stepping Stone House offers a comprehensive suite of youth support services organized as a continuum of care called the 'Stepping Stones to Independence' model. The core service portfolio includes five interconnected care programs: Residential Care (24-hour supervised accommodation), Semi-Independent Living, Independent Living, After-Care, and Alumni programs. These residential programs are complemented by specialized development offerings including Skills for Life (800+ life skills), Career and Employment Pathways Program, Drive to Freedom (driving mentorship), Adventure Education (outdoor activities), Duke of Edinburgh Award, Future Pathways Program, and Re-Engage work readiness program. The organization also runs fundraising events including Sleep Under the Stars, The Long Haul, Sailing Regatta, Bridge Day, Insight Tours, and Impact Days to support its operations.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Residential Care Program
• Semi-Independent Living Program
• Independent Living Program
• Skills for Life Program
• Career and Employment Pathways Program
• Drive to Freedom Program
• Adventure Education
• Duke of Edinburgh Award Program
• After-Care Program
• Alumni Program
• Future Pathways Program
• Re-Engage Work Readiness Program

Quantifiable outcome

• 100% of graduates accommodated at 19 years old (vs 40% foster care)
• +7 more outcomes

Named customers6 records

Segments2 records

Ideal customer profiles2 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Integration3 records

Partnerships

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

• Huber SocialcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2017Huber Social works with purpose-driven organisations to measure wellbeing and achieve program outcomes. Since 2017, they have measured the wellbeing of SSH youth with data published in annual Social Impact Reports.
• Lotus PeopleminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2015Lotus People is a recruitment agency providing in-kind career support to the youth in the SSH Career Pathways Program.
• SustainRecruitminorStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2008SustainRecruit is a recruitment agency committed to giving back to the community. They have been dedicated supporters through donations and participation in Sleep Under the Stars.
• DHL ExpressmajorStrategic or Co-development PartnerDHL Express is one of the biggest corporate teams at Sleep Under the Stars. Their drivers have been instrumental in delivering the SSH Drive to Freedom Program as volunteer driver mentors. They also employed Gabby through the Future Pathways Program.
• Adobe ANZcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerAdobe ANZ are heavy supporters of Sleep Under the Stars and have previously funded SSH's Family Restoration role for one year. They currently deliver SSH's virtual Skills for Life program through pro-bono project management support and Adobe Captivate platform.
• Outward Bound AustraliacoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOutward Bound Australia delivers Resilience Adventure Camps and helps SSH youth achieve their Bronze, Silver and Gold Duke of Edinburgh Awards through the transformative impact of adventure and outdoors.

Scale indicators11 records

Recent moves9 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Broad incumbents

• The Salvation Army Australia: The Salvation Army operates extensive youth homelessness, crisis accommodation, and out-of-home care services across Australia through its Doorways, Salvos Housing, and youth programs. It is a broad incumbent: national scale, government-contracted services, and competes with SSH for both referrals and donor dollars in the youth homelessness space.
• MacKillop Family Services: MacKillop Family Services is a large Catholic agency providing out-of-home care, residential care, and specialist services for children and young people across Australia, including those experiencing homelessness. It is a broad incumbent: comparable service mix, multi-state footprint, similar therapeutic care approach, and competes for both government contracts and donor funding.
• St Vincent de Paul Society NSW: St Vincent de Paul Society NSW provides a broad range of social services including crisis accommodation, housing support, and youth services across NSW. It is a broad incumbent: comparable geography (NSW focus), broader service portfolio, much larger fundraising infrastructure, and competes with SSH for individual donors and corporate partnerships.
• Mission Australia: Mission Australia is one of Australia's largest community service organisations, providing housing, homelessness, and youth services nationwide including dedicated youth homelessness programs. It is a broad incumbent: vastly larger scale, multiple service lines beyond youth, federal funding relationships, and competes with SSH for both government contracts and philanthropic dollars.
• Wesley Mission: Wesley Mission is a large Christian community services organisation operating across NSW and beyond, including youth homelessness and out-of-home care programs. It is a broad incumbent: Stepping Stone House was originally under Wesley Mission before separating in 1995, and Wesley continues to operate competing youth services in the same Sydney geography.

Direct peers

• Open Family Australia: Open Family Australia supports vulnerable young people aged 12-24 facing or experiencing homelessness in Sydney through outreach, casework, and accommodation support. Direct peer: identical target demographic, same Sydney geography, similar service mix, comparable scale as a specialist youth homelessness provider.
• Lighthouse Foundation: Lighthouse Foundation provides medium to long-term residential care and holistic support for homeless and at-risk young people aged 15-21 in Melbourne. It is a direct peer: comparable mission, similar medium-to-long-term housing model, similar therapeutic support approach, but operating in Victoria rather than NSW.
• Kids Under Cover: Kids Under Cover is an Australian charity preventing youth homelessness through studio accommodation and family reconciliation programs. It is a direct peer: similar mission, similar target demographic, similar reliance on property-based solutions to homelessness, and operates across multiple Australian states.
• Marist 180: Marist 180 is a specialist Australian provider of services for youth at risk, including residential care, foster care, and homelessness support. It is a direct peer: SSH board member Cate Sydes was previously CEO of Marist 180, both organisations operate in the Sydney youth-out-of-home-care space, and both serve similar age cohorts with overlapping program types.

Others

• Y Foundations (Y Australia): Y Foundations is the national peak body for the Australian youth housing sector, representing specialist homelessness services for young people. It is an ecosystem participant: not a direct operator, but the peak body governing and advocating for organisations like Stepping Stone House, with potential as a national-scale replication partner.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks7 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/sshaustralia
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCp2NrKBAUjd46RUoJkZeTTQ
• Facebookfacebook.com/SteppingStoneHouse
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stepping-stone-house
• Instagraminstagram.com/stepping_stone_house

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles11 records

Subsidiaries1 record

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 Stepping Stone House