About Us

Anchor is an independent, not-for-profit organisation with a proud history of supporting disadvantaged people in Australia for more than 40 years.

On this page…

About Anchor

Our Vision, Purpose, Mission & Values

Our Story

How it all began

Our People

Our Board

Our Partners

Our Supporters who help make our community stronger

Reconciliation

Anchor is committed to actively implement change to achieve reconciliation.

About Anchor

Our Vision

Homelessness should leave no one behind.

Every child, young person, and family is equipped to shape their future.

Our Purpose

We believe in an Australia where anyone experiencing homelessness has a pathway to safety and independence.

We’re here to help them
find it.

Our Mission

We believe in our work and each other, in listening, innovating, and improving every single day.

We lift each other up. Sharing stories and nurturing partnerships.

We never lose sight of the vision, and we never leave anyone behind.

Our Values

Belief

We believe in the potential of every individual experiencing homelessness.

Our focus goes beyond shelter—prioritising resources and support to nurture agency and foster growth.

We empower individuals to take control, create their own pathways towards a self-determined future.

Authenticity

We value real connections and open dialogue with our clients, staff, and partners.

By fostering a culture of honesty and acceptance, we create transparent, trustworthy relationships.

We celebrate and embrace the diversity that makes up Anchor, giving a platform for all individual voices to be heard.

Collaboration

We value the diverse experiences and perspectives of all involved in our mission.

Across a diverse set of teams, we foster a sense of unity, listening and working together to achieve the best outcomes for our clients. For while our specific work may be different, what we work towards is the same.

Empathy

Support at Anchor is deep, meaningful, and client centred.

We understand that no two individuals experience the same disadvantage, nor have the same aspirations.

Every day in our work, we take the time to understand each client, understanding their journey. We place our clients’ needs before our own, especially at times of crisis.

Our Story

Its been a long and eventful journey but we’ve never lost sight of the vision.

How It All Began

1976

Operating out of an old house in Ferntree Gully, the Supported Housing Advocacy and
Care (SHAC) program, an initiative by the Baptist Union in Blackburn, is set up as a response to homelessness youths in Melbourne’s east.

1989

UYLEAP: A group of Uniting Churches in the Yarra Valley recognises the need for emergency accommodation assistance for homeless people and those in danger of becoming homeless. They formed the Upper Yarra and Lilydale Emergency Accommodation Program (UYLEAP).

1989

MECCA: The Lilydale Baptist Church and Mount Evelyn Reform Church were operating Mt Evelyn Community Christian Care (MECCA) concurrently. This program assisted adolescents experiencing difficulties at home.

1989

KCYA: Knox Community Youth Accommodation (KCYA) was formed by a group of community minded people to assist young people experiencing homelessness in the City of Knox.

1993

SHAC becomes an independent incorporated body and expanded its service to include supporting babies and children.

1994

UYLEAP and MECCA amalgamated under one management structure and changed their name to Yarra Ranges Community Christian Care (YRCCC).

1995

KCYA changed its name to Knox Community Support Services after attracting recurrent funding for family and single adult support workers and a family reconciliation worker.

2002

On 1 March, 2002 SHAC and YRCCC officially amalgamated to become Anchor Inc. Anchor Foster Care was based in Ferntree Gully and Homelessness Services in Lilydale.

2005

Knox Community Support Services and Anchor Homelessness Service amalgamated under one structure.

2006

Anchor’s Foster Care services re-located to Knox. Support was extended to children 0-18 years.

2010

Anchor’s services were expanded to include Kinship Care based in Knox. The homelessness service remained based in Lilydale.

2011

Support for Young People program established at Nelson Road, Lilydale.

2017

Anchor’s Foster Care, Kinship Care and Corporate Services moved to Scoresby. Anchor’s Young Woman’s accommodation program opened in Anderson Street, Lilydale.

2017

Anchor’s Homelessness service re-locates from Main Street, Lilydale to Box Hill Institute, Lilydale.

2021

Anchor launched its Supporting Transitions Program (now called the Anchor MyLife project), establishing its first site in Pakenham in 2021, supporting young people aged 16+ to develop independence and prepare to leave statutory care at 18.

2022

Nelson Road Support for Young People service officially accredited as a Youth Foyer by the Foyer Foundation.

2023

Anchor Community Care Ltd: Anchor Inc became a company limited by guarantee and
changed its name to Anchor Community Care Ltd. The Young Woman’s Program site is repurposed to become a second Supporting Transitions (Anchor MyLife) site, and a 3rd site opens in Sale, Gippsland.

2024

Anchor rebrands with new logo, colours and descriptor: Pathways from Homelessness.

Our People

Our Board

The members of our Board generously donate their time and expertise to provide strategic direction, governance and ongoing support to the work of Anchor.

Phillip Campbell

Chair – Board of Management; Member – Information, Communications and Technology Committee

Bachelor of Engineering; Diploma – Australian Institute of Company Directors

Phillip is an experienced company director with a demonstrated history of successful transformations of public and private organisations. He has been CEO/MD of a number of public and private companies in the manufacturing and engineering services sectors and is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Jacinta Brouwer

Secretary; Member – Revenue, Planning & Growth Committee

Master of Business Administration, Australian Institute of Company Directors, Diploma of Financial Planning

Jacinta is a senior banking executive with 20+ years’ experience across three major banks. During her career, Jacinta has held senior leadership positions in retail, business and private banking. Jacinta has strong skills in banking, finance, investments, strategy and leadership.
Jacinta has also gained considerable experience within the not-for-profit sector. She has held the position of advisory board member at Fareshare and Feed Melbourne, business mentor at Thrive Refugee Enterprise and management committee member at Kew Business Association and Kew Junior Football Club.

Nigel Haskins

Treasurer; Member – Risk & Compliance Committee; Member – Information and Communications Technology Committee

Bachelor and Master of Zoology; Master of Business Administration; Master of Science (Business & Climate Change); graduate in Sustainable Finance, Cambridge Institute for Sustainability Leadership.

Nigel is a purpose driven leader who has a particular interest in environmental and social justice roles. He is skilled in finance and operations across the private, public and not for profit sectors.

Nigel is a fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England & Wales and a former CFO of VincentCare Victoria and Sustainability Victoria. He is a graduate member of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Sharika Jeyakumar

Member – Risk & Compliance Committee; Member – Anchor Reconciliation Action Plan Committee

Bachelor of Laws; Bachelor of Arts; Graduate Diploma of Legal Practice; Graduate Certificate of Science

Sharika is a legal practitioner admitted in the Supreme Court of Victoria. She has over a decade of extensive project and policy experience at Victoria Legal Aid, predominantly in the Family Violence space including as acting Associate Director and overseeing the implementation of best practice legal service delivery at the new Specialist Family Violence Courts.

Sharika is passionate about utilising her skills and experience to address systematic disadvantage and inequality within the legal system.

Michael Deidun

Member – Revenue Planning & Growth Committee; Member – Anchor Reconciliation Action Plan Committee

Bachelor of Applied Science (Planning); Diploma of Business

Michael has 25 years’ town planning experience in the public and private sectors. He has particular expertise in the local government area. Michael and his wife have also been Anchor foster carers for nearly 20 years, caring for approximately 40 children in a range of respite, emergency, short term and long term care. Michael is a previous Board member of the Victorian Planning and Environmental Law Association and Urban Seed.

Adrian Martyn

Member – Revenue, Planning & Growth Committee

Bachelor of Commerce; Bachelor of Business Systems, Institute of Chartered Accountants

Adrian qualified as an accountant (PwC) in Australia before moving into investment banking. He spent 13 years working in the European mid-market private equity and private credit space based in the UK, before returning to Australia in 2020. He works as a Director of Longreach Credit Investors which is a private credit investment management firm. Adrian has a passion for social housing and is currently working on a social/affordable housing project.

Brad Price

Chair – Revenue Planning & Growth Committee

Bachelor of Commerce (Accounting); CPA, Diploma of Financial Planning

Brad has more than 20 years’ experience as a former senior banking & finance executive leading teams across a wide range of divisions. He now acts as a finance consultant on a range of projects and is well versed in financial analysis and risk assessment with a capacity to negotiate all elements of the client relationship.

Sylvia Hadjiantoniou

Non-Executive Director

Bachelor of Commerce, Executive Master of Business Administration

Sylvia is an experienced Board Director and Executive who has worked across the public, private and not-for-profit sectors.  A transformational leader, she has collaborated with multisector partners to deliver large-scale capital projects, develop precincts and manage organisational transformations.  Sylvia is committed to advancing social justice by providing support services and improving access to affordable housing, community infrastructure, health care and education.  She holds a Victorian Builder’s license and is a graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Heidi Tucker

Chief Executive Officer; Ex-officio member of the Board

Bachelor of Social Science; Diploma, Australian Institute of Company Directors

Heidi is an experienced senior manager with proven leadership skills and high level practitioner knowledge in the community services sector. She has management and practice leadership experience in Disability, Justice, Child and Family, Housing & Homelessness and Mental Health Services. Heidi has been CEO of Anchor since 2015, having previously worked in senior roles at Berry Street and Life Without Barriers.

Our Partners

With Anchor Pathways, our partners’ support help us create more examples of ‘quiet heroism’.

Government & Service Delivery Partners

Anchor has long standing relationships with local and state government bodies, as well service delivery partners to ensure continuing successful delivery of our programs across Victoria.

These partnership networks are vital cogs in strengthening our service delivery models and supporting our work on a daily basis, and we are proud to work with these wonderful organisations every day that support Anchor to provide the best outcomes for our clients and young people.

Corporate Partners

At Anchor, we believe in the power of collaboration and working together to achieve the best outcomes for our young people. We know that we can’t do it alone.

With our partners we develop lasting and meaningful relationships, that are mutually beneficial, and essential to building various pathways from homelessness for young people in our care.

Get involved

Partnerships with individuals, businesses and local organisations are vital to the success of Anchor. If you’re interested in making a difference to your community, contact us to find out more.

Innovate Reconciliation Action Plan

Anchor is committed
to actively implement change to achieve reconciliation.

Meaningful engagement with Reconcilliation

Anchor is committed to supporting the national reconciliation movement and its efforts to promote equity between all peoples of Australia, and the process of solidifying the Victorian Treaty recognising all prior ownership of land and injustice experienced by Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

The original mission of Anchor’s Reflect RAP strategy was to prepare to engage in reconciliation meaningfully, engage staff and leaders in understanding the importance of Reconciliation, and building strong foundations.

On the basis of our work on Reflect RAP, Reconciliation Australia (RA) gave approval to Anchor in 2024 to commence developing Anchor’s two-year Innovate RAP strategy.

In the next iteration of our RAP journey, Innovate RAP is a crucial and rewarding period where we now build stronger foundations and relationships that ensure sustainable, thoughtful, and impactful RAP outcomes into the future. Embarking on our new Innovate RAP strategy is an opportunity for Anchor to further strengthen these relationships, gain crucial experience, and nurture connections that will become the lifeblood of our future RAP commitments. By enabling and empowering staff to contribute to this process, Anchor will ensure shared and cooperative success in the long-term.