Supporting Stepping Stone house in their mission to help homeless youth

Stepping Stone House supports young people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness by providing stable housing. 

Its unique model also provides education and life skills support as part of its comprehensive wrap around care, helping young people move out of crisis and build a path to independent living.

One in three Australians experiencing homelessness are under 25. Many of these people learn that instability is built into the very system aiming to help them.

Each move means starting again, which requires retelling traumatic experiences, rebuilding trust, and facing uncertainty about where they will sleep next.

Stepping Stone House aims to break that cycle through programs which provide long-term accommodation and support for young people aged 12-24 years.

The organisation’s model is built on a clear commitment: young people can stay for as long as they need. For some, that means months. For others, it’s years. The goal is to help children and young people become the very best they can be. 

“At Stepping Stone House, young people can stay for as long as they need. That changes everything, giving them the time to feel safe, build meaningful relationships and become the very best they can be.” Jason Juretic, CEO, Stepping Stone House.

 

Housing stability as a first step

Stepping Stone House works with young people who are experiencing homelessness or are at risk of long-term housing instability. Many have left statutory care (such as foster care), experienced family breakdown, or fallen outside existing government funding systems. Without extended support, they’re likely to end up couch surfing, moving between short-term accommodation options, or sleeping rough.

The continuity provided by Stepping Stone House gives these young people the stability they need to focus on education, employment and life skills, rather than mere survival. 

 

A long-term approach for long-term challenges

While crisis accommodation provides immediate safety for young people experiencing homelessness, it rarely addresses what happens next. This is an issue for young people transitioning into adulthood, when formal support often falls away.

Stepping Stone House believes in investing upstream. Supporting young people over extended periods reduces the likelihood of repeat homelessness and long-term interaction with health and justice systems.

The Goodman Foundation has been a long-term partner of Stepping Stone House.  Our recent support has helped the non-profit to expand its Semi-independent Living Program, for 16–22-year-olds, and its Independent Living Program for 17-24 year-olds.

Each program goes beyond providing housing, focusing on goals like employment, education and targeted developmental programs, which help young people learn to drive, to advocate, and to plan for their future. To date, Goodman’s funding has directly supported 65 young people to secure their future through these two programs.

 

A focus on impact

Goodman’s partnership with Stepping Stone House aims to help the organisation make a real impact. For over a decade, our funding has remained flexible, extending well beyond program funding to help with organisational capability building or access to strategic advice. This flexibility and consistency in support have allowed Stepping Stone House to strengthen its model, plan for growth, and build evidence to support broader adoption of extended care.

In recent years, we have also supported Stepping Stone House to build culturally informed programs for Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people, strengthening the organisation’s capability to respond to an over-represented cohort within youth homelessness.

During our partnership, Goodman’s people have also made many direct contributions to Stepping Stone House. Some have contributed their professional expertise through strategic input, while others have mentored young people, taught them to drive, or been hands on with property improvements.