St John's Youth Services

What St John's Youth Services does

St John's Youth Services (SJYS) is an Adelaide-based, independent non-profit organisation founded in 1981 that delivers youth homelessness services across the Adelaide metropolitan area. It operates an interconnected suite of five programs: Youth110 provides 30 self-contained crisis accommodation apartments with 24/7 on-site support in Adelaide's CBD; Foyer Port Adelaide offers 23 medium-term independent apartments for young people engaged in education, training, or employment using an 'Advantaged Thinking' model; Next Step delivers intensive outreach to support young people transitioning to independent housing; Keeping my Place provides early intervention for young private renters at risk of tenancy loss; and KMP for Property Managers extends that support to landlords. SJYS targets young people aged 16–25 experiencing or at risk of homelessness, including families and First Nations youth, and serves over 180 young people and 12,000+ accommodation nights annually (2024/25).

The business model is non-commercial: all services are provided free of charge to end users, and SJYS is recognised as a Public Benevolent Institution and Deductible Gift Recipient by the Australian Taxation Office. Revenue is generated from three streams — government funding (Commonwealth via Believe Housing for Youth110, SA State Government for Foyer Port Adelaide through the Adelaide North West Homelessness Alliance, Department of Human Services), philanthropic grants and donations (over 10 named foundations plus individual donors), and partnership campaigns (corporate 'Partnerships for Purpose' programs with Beyond Bank, Lucia's/Credit Union SA, and others). The organisation has 29 employees, a board of 10 directors, and is a founding member of the Foyer Foundation and Foyer Invest national partnership targeting 50 youth Foyers nationally by 2030, with SJYS committed to 5 new Foyers in South Australia. There is no proprietary technology; the operating model is service-delivery-led with an average employee tenure of 6.5 years and a 17% First Nations workforce.

Name

St John's Youth Services

Legal name

St Johns Youth Services Incorporated

Website

https://stjohnsyouthservices.org.au

Company type

Private

Founded year

1981

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

St John's Youth Services is an Adelaide-based non-profit, founded in 1981, providing crisis accommodation, medium-term housing, outreach, and tenancy support to young people aged 16-25 experiencing or at risk of homelessness in Adelaide.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Youth Homelessness Services

NAICS

Temporary Shelters (624221), Child and Youth Services (62411), Community Housing Services (62422)

SIC

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

akta.pro primary industry

Housing Assistance & Homeless Services (BPAGAEAB)

akta.pro secondary industries

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

Keywords

• Youth homelessness services
• Crisis accommodation
• Transitional housing
• Tenancy support programs
• Youth outreach support

Headquarters

HQ city

Adelaide

HQ country

Australia

HQ region

Oceania

Offices3 records

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Government Funding: Core operational funding from Commonwealth and SA State Governments via Believe Housing for Youth110, and SA Government for Foyer Port Adelaide through the Adelaide North West Homelessness Alliance
2. Philanthropic Grants and Donations: Funding from foundations (Believe Foundation, Conrad Foundation, Day Family Foundation, Lang Foundation), corporate donors (Beyond Bank, Coopers Foundation, Wyatt Trust), and individual donors. Next Step program is entirely funded by individual donors and philanthropic supporters.
3. Partnership Campaigns: Revenue generated through partnership campaigns such as the Lucia's and Credit Union SA 'Partnerships for Purpose' hamper program where each partner donates $5 per hamper sold

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels2 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

St John's Youth Services delivers free accommodation and wraparound support for young people aged 12-25 experiencing or at risk of homelessness in the Adelaide metropolitan area. Its offering spans short-term crisis apartments, medium-term independent housing linked to education and employment, intensive outreach to support transition into private rental, and early-intervention tenancy support for young renters at risk of eviction.

Product overview

St John's Youth Services operates as a unified suite of interconnected youth homelessness support programs rather than a platform-plus-modules architecture. The core portfolio consists of five distinct services: Youth110 provides 30 self-contained crisis accommodation apartments in Adelaide's CBD with 24/7 support for young people experiencing homelessness; Foyer Port Adelaide offers 23 medium-term apartments for young people engaged in education, training or employment; Next Step delivers intensive outreach support for young people transitioning to independent housing; Keeping my Place provides early intervention for young private renters at risk of losing their tenancy; and KMP for Property Managers extends this to support property managers working with young tenants. Together, these services form a continuous pathway from crisis accommodation through to sustainable independent living, addressing every stage of a young person's housing journey.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Youth110 Short-term crisis accommodation service for young people aged 16-25 experiencing homelessness in Adelaide's CBD, offering 30 self-contained apartments with 24/7 on-site support to help young people stabilise and plan their next steps.
• Foyer Port Adelaide South Australia's first and only youth Foyer accommodation service, providing medium-term independent apartments for young people aged 16-21 engaged in education, training or employment, with wraparound support based on an 'Advantaged Thinking' approach.
• Next Step Intensive, individualised outreach program supporting young people transitioning from accommodation services to independent private rental housing, providing assistance with housing searches, tenancy applications, and independent living skills.
• Keeping my Place Early intervention program helping young people in private rental properties who are at risk of losing their tenancy due to financial or personal crisis, providing tailored support including budgeting assistance, tenancy skills coaching, and where needed, financial assistance or rental guarantees.
• KMP for Property Managers Specialised arm of Keeping my Place that works directly with property managers and landlords to support young renters in maintaining their tenancies, offering tailored assistance to address rental arrears, communication issues, and property care challenges.

Quantifiable outcome

• 90% of Next Step participants break the cycle of homelessness and remain in independent accommodation
• +4 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments4 records

Ideal customer profiles3 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.

• Foyer InvestcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational partnership between leading youth services, community housing providers and the Foyer Foundation. Goal is to expand the number of Foyers across Australia to 50 by 2030. St John's Youth Services is a member working toward 5 new youth Foyers in SA.
• Australian Electoral Commission (AEC)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership through the Indigenous Electoral Participation Program. AEC works with SJYS to support young people to understand their rights, enrol to vote, and participate in Australia's democratic processes. Electoral education and support embedded into everyday work with young people.
• Lucia's and Credit Union SAminorGTM or Marketing PartnerJoint 'Partnerships for Purpose' hamper campaign for Christmas. Lucia's and Credit Union SA each donate $5 to SJYS per hamper sold ($70 retail price). Campaign supports young people experiencing homelessness.
• Foyer FoundationcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerNational organization supporting the Foyer movement. SJYS works with Foyer Foundation to expand Foyer model nationally.
• Urban Communities/UnisoncoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerPartnership in the UNO complex supporting Youth110 and creating community connections.
• Grannies Group (Port Grannies Group)minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity group providing guidance and support, particularly for reconciliation work and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people.
• GivitminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity and in-kind supporter providing goods for young people moving into independent housing.
• Good 360minorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCommunity and in-kind supporter providing goods for young people.

Scale indicators14 records

Recent moves10 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Broad incumbents

• Anglicare Australia: National network of Anglican social service agencies delivering homelessness and youth services, including in South Australia. Broader incumbent with overlapping youth homelessness offerings and historically connected to SJYS via shared Anglican roots.
• Salvation Army Australia (Salvos): National faith-based provider operating crisis accommodation, transitional housing and outreach for homeless youth across Australia, including in Adelaide. Broader incumbent competing for similar government contracts and philanthropic dollars.
• Mission Australia: One of Australia's largest community housing and homelessness providers, operating youth-specific crisis and transitional housing across multiple states. Broader incumbent with overlapping youth homelessness offerings but a much wider social services portfolio.
• Wesley Mission: Multi-state faith-based social services provider running crisis accommodation, youth and family support programs across Australia. Broader incumbent with overlapping homelessness services competing for similar Adelaide-region opportunities.
• Baptist Care Australia: Federated network of Baptist community service organisations providing homelessness, youth and family services nationally, with South Australian operations. Broader incumbent in the same funding and policy ecosystem.

Others

• Yfoundations: NSW peak body for the youth homelessness sector providing advocacy, training and sector development. Comparable in target population and policy advocacy focus but functions as an industry association rather than a service provider.
• Foyer Foundation: National body established by SJYS in 2008 to expand the Foyer model across Australia, targeting 50 youth Foyers by 2030. Ecosystem partner and potential channel for SJYS service replication rather than a direct competitor.

Direct peers

• Melbourne City Mission (MCM): Long-standing Victorian non-profit delivering youth homelessness services, education and housing programs. Comparable in mission, target cohort (12–25 year olds at risk of homelessness) and integrated service model, serving as a regional counterpart.
• Launch Housing: Melbourne-based specialist youth homelessness provider offering crisis, transitional and medium-term housing for young people. Closest direct peer given comparable target population, age range and service mix, though larger and metro-Melbourne focused.

Regional players

• Centrepoint UK: UK's leading youth homelessness charity providing accommodation, learning and wellbeing services for 16–25 year olds. Comparable mission, target cohort and service model, but operating in the UK rather than Australia.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Facebookfacebook.com/StJohnsYouthServices
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/stjohnsyouthservices
• Instagraminstagram.com/sjysadelaide/?hl=en

Compliance3 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles16 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

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Frequently asked questions about St John's Youth Services