From classroom to changemaker: Noah Yang’s journey to transforming homelessness support in Australia

January 7 2025

In less than 10 years, Monash Business School alum Noah Yang has grown the homelessness support charity he founded, We Are Mobilise, into a national charity and formidable force for good.

As a second-year Monash Business School student in 2016, Noah Yang found himself moved by a simple yet confronting sight: homeless people on Melbourne streets.

“I asked myself; ‘In a nation as prosperous as Australia, why does anybody have to sleep on the street?’” Mr Yang recalled, eight years on.

Feeling compelled to help but unsure where to begin, 19-year-old Noah sat in Monash’s Caulfield campus quadrangle and made calls to local organisations, seeking donations. Eventually, a bakery responded, offering bread donations.

Then he and a mate went out, armed with bags of bread, to assist rough sleepers. But when speaking to them, the students made a surprising and powerful discovery —many of the people they met craved not only sustenance but social connection.

This experience spurred Noah to found We Are Mobilise, a national charity dedicated to solving homelessness in innovative, meaningful and lasting ways, with a vision to create a world where no one has to sleep on the street.

Growing an impactful movement

In just eight years Mr Yang has grown We Are Mobilise into a national charity and movement founded on the principle that investing genuine human connections, time, and companionship into homeless communities will help improve their circumstances.

The charity’s notable achievements include their partnership with Australian ultramarathon athlete Nedd Brockmann.

In October 2024, We Are Mobilise launched Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge, which has so far raised an astounding $4.8 million to support people experiencing homelessness, through programs such as rental assistance program Mobilise Kickstarter.

The Mobilise team with Nedd Brockmann (third from right.)

“This ($4.8 million represents) over 400 years of housing through our Kickstarter program, a mindblowing amount that will transform many lives. It's a reminder about what can be accomplished when people mobilise together to make an impact,” Mr Yang explained.

Kicking off the challenge, Mr Brockmann ran 1600 km around the Sydney Olympic Park Athletic Centre Track, in just 12 days, 13 hours, 16 minutes and 45 seconds.

Following his lead, more than 10,000 Australians “got uncomfortable” for 10 days, through individual physical or mental challenges, to raise funds for those experiencing homelessness. Mr Yang himself participated by filming and sharing a daily video reflecting on the loss of his mother in 2024. The charity is now exploring how the impact of Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge can be expanded annually.

Building blocks of We Are Mobilise

Homelessness is not as straightforward as “a lack of a house or a roof over your head,” as it also encompasses a lack of safety and security, Mr Yang said. “Of the 122,000 Australians experiencing homelessness, 6% of people are ‘rough sleeping’ or ‘on the streets’. But 94% are in secondary or tertiary homelessness - they may have roofs over their heads but may live in unsafe or unsuitable situations,” he explained.

The charity focuses on helping those impacted by homelessness through three key pillars: Outreach, Direct Giving, and Igniting a Movement. These pillars form a framework to address both the visible and hidden aspects of homelessness.

1. Outreach is Mobilise’s signature fortnightly volunteer program, providing a direct way to engage with those experiencing homelessness on the streets, to learn about the issues and provide on-the-ground support. Outreach aims to offer essential goods and conversations held in the spirit of curiosity and empathy.
2. Direct Giving targets the hidden homeless, people that are living in unstable or unsafe situations. This includes couch surfing, sleeping in cars or overcrowded dwellings. Mobilise has pioneered five direct giving programs offering direct financial support to empower individuals to rewrite their own stories.

These include: Matched - direct cash grants; Kickstarter- housing support; Pay - bills, food and essentials for single mother households; Mobility - transport; Wellbeing - mental health assessments.

3. Igniting a Movement is about raising awareness. “People often don’t realise that homelessness is solvable,” Mr Yang said, “If we can educate people about the realities and ways to help, it creates a powerful ripple effect.”

Challenges and milestones

Building a charity from scratch meant navigating everything from regulatory hurdles to scepticism about what they could achieve, Mr Yang said.

Mr Yang with Mobilise outreach volunteers and
charity friend Sarah.

He recalled the times he and his team were told to leave outreach to “professionals”, because they were young. “Entrepreneurship is really hard, it looks all shiny on the outside now, but the whole thing's a challenge,” he said.

Despite these hurdles, he is proud of their milestones, which include:

• Incorporation as a registered ACNC charity in 2020.
• Expansion to outreach in Sydney, Melbourne, Canberra, and Brisbane.
• The launch of five groundbreaking Direct Giving programs distributing care in five states across the country.
• National campaigns like Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge, raising millions and boosting nationwide awareness.
• Named the 2025 charity partner for Triple J's Hottest 100 countdown.

“[Our work was] always about how we can give young people a chance to get involved, learn about and make an impact for homelessness and increase those avenues as time goes on, ” Mr Yang said.

“As much as the milestones get bigger, they don’t get any less exciting, it’s just been incredible.”

A unique blend of business and purpose

Mr Yang’s Monash Business School studies provided a foundation that informed his approach to Mobilise. Majors in International Business and Marketing, plus participation in several of Monash’s global programs, exposed him to diverse perspectives and innovative solutions. “Commercial outcomes are rarely seen in the charity and impact space,” Mr Yang said,  “But applying best practices and efficiencies from business can amplify impact.”

This mindset has allowed We Are Mobilise to operate efficiently, scaling up its services and reach, Mr Yang explained.

A leadership style built on integrity and support

Mr Yang’s approach to leading We Are Mobilise is rooted in a commitment to integrity and creating a supportive environment. “I think the mirror test is very important as a leader, but as a team as well, that we can all look ourselves in the mirror and say, we put in the effort and we’re really proud about what’s been achieved…if you make a nice, safe, supportive environment where people can fail, learn and grow, well, that’s all that really matters,” he said.

Advice for aspiring changemakers

For Monash students hoping to make a difference, Mr Yang’s advice is straightforward: “Work out what it is that sets your heart on fire… entrepreneurship is bloody hard, the only way you can succeed at it is you have to find something that you can stick out for 10 years and not have any lack of enthusiasm for. You need to work out what you're so passionate about that you can't go a day without thinking about it.”

Learn more: 

We Are Mobilise: Website, LinkedIn, Instagram, Facebook

Noah Yang: LinkedIn, Instagram

To donate to Nedd’s Uncomfortable Challenge: Website, Instagram , Facebook