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Our methodology

The TEKVA Method

Navigation is the product. Targeted payment is one tool. We help working-age Australians work out what's breaking first, find the right pathway, and rebuild — backing people before deterioration compounds.

Step 1

Triage

What's most urgent, sorted fast

We work out what's breaking first: housing, income, debt, utilities, work access, health, or paperwork. Safety and risk screening comes before anything else, then urgency sorting and a clear first step.

  • →Safety and risk screening first
  • →What's urgent, in what order
  • →Document collection started early
  • →A clear first step, fast

Step 2

Navigate

Clarity, tools, and the right referrals

TEKVA helps people see the full picture and find the right pathway. Financial capability support, referrals to the right specialists, and free digital tools that help people take control. Referral isn't rejection — it's the right door.

  • →Financial capability coaching and budgeting
  • →Specialist referrals (financial counsellors, insolvency experts, legal)
  • →Free tools: Hardship Helper, Job Loss Action Plan, Runway Calculator
  • →Creditor negotiation and hardship application support
  • →Entitlements and concessions identification

Step 3

Stabilise

One blocker, removed

Where one practical cost is the thing keeping someone stuck, TEKVA may cover it: paid direct to the provider, agreed with the participant, and only where it changes what happens next. Support is assessed by situation, not expense category.

  • →Vendor-direct where workable
  • →One specific blocker, not open-ended support
  • →Tied to a plan agreed with the participant
  • →Essential, time-sensitive, likely to change the outcome

Step 4

Rebuild

Capability and confidence

For people who are stabilised and ready to move forward. Practical upskilling, mentoring, and structured support to rebuild confidence and capability. Not job placement — the skills and clarity to figure out what comes next on your own terms.

  • →AI literacy and digital skills training
  • →Mentoring from people who've navigated similar transitions
  • →Structured next-step planning
  • →Barrier removal: transport, clothing, licensing, childcare gaps
  • →Community connection and peer support

Our belief

The freefall gap — the window between the shock and the system responding — is where lives change direction. We exist to catch people in that window.

Design principles

How we build

Dignity-first design

Every touchpoint is built around the question: does this respect the person's agency, intelligence, and potential? We treat participants as capable adults navigating difficulty — with belief, practical support, clear expectations, and accountability.

AI-augmented operations

TEKVA is AI-native. AI helps us triage, assess, structure, and speed up the work — so the team can spend more time on the human side. Humans make every decision.

Speed as a moral value

When someone is in financial freefall, every day matters. Where queue-based emergency relief can take 6–8 weeks, TEKVA aims to triage urgent cases within 72 hours and pay vendor-direct as soon as a plan is in place. Speed matters — small problems compound fast.

Accountability without shame

We set clear expectations. Support is tracked. Progress is measured. But when things don't work out, we help people pivot — not punish them. No shame, no blame, just Plan B.

Back the method

See the evidence, explore partnership, or get in touch.

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Fast support and free tools for Australians in financial difficulty.

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Tax-deductible · DGR-1 endorsed

Fast support and free tools for Australians in financial difficulty.

Donate

Tax-deductible · DGR-1 endorsed

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Resources

Just lost your job? Start hereDisplacement Field ManualSmall business in crisisFree hardship letter generatorJob loss action planFinancial runway calculatorFree financial hardship guidesKnow your financial rightsService directory

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Company

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Financial counselling at TEKVA is delivered by FCAN-registered Financial Counsellors. Financial capability support is provided by Financial Capability Workers — distinct from financial counselling, with no credit advice or creditor negotiation. We also provide crisis triage, practical support, and referral coordination. We do not provide AFSL-licensed financial product advice, legal advice, or insolvency advice. Where specialist support is needed, we connect people to qualified professionals.

ACNC RegisteredDGR-1 Endorsed↗ABN 88 689 519 686

© 2026 TEKVA. All rights reserved.

·

L9, 151 Macquarie St, Sydney NSW 2000

Australian residents only