Hope Street CEO, Donna Bennett reflects upon her day spent at a quilting exhibition where a special group of women generously donated the proceeds of their quilt raffle to support young people and young families experiencing homelessness in Melton.

Blankets wrap you in warmth, quilts wrap you in love.

-- Anonymous

Most people will remember the extremely windy day in Melbourne on Sunday the 9th of October. I certainly do as I was on the road to the Willows Quilting Group Biennial Quilting Exhibition held at the St Catherine’s School Hall in Melton West.

Hope Street's plans for a 24/7 mobile outreach service in Melton are at a standstill after the Victorian Government revealed that it would not be committing funding to the youth homelessness initiative.

The City of Melton is continuing to experience extensive population growth and is likely to do so for the next two decades. This growth is accompanied by an increase in young people finding themselves homeless due to family breakdown, lack of affordable housing, and family violence. There is a real lack of crisis accommodation for young people living in outer areas such as Melton. The nearest emergency facility is over 25kms away. In the absence of emergency support, young people seek refuge elsewhere and as a consequence often disconnect from their other support systems like school, employment and extended family.