Hope for homeless youth

This project equipped 50 young people with basic life skills needed for independent living and encouraged positive interaction between residents at the Brunswick Crisis Refuge, Whittlesea and Melton Transitional Accommodation.

At group sessions, young people experiencing homelessness were provided with practical information, education and support so they could actively participate in the community. The project helped young people to gain confidence, learn living skills and develop community networks. Topics of the various workshops held included:

  • Orientation and access to the Australian Community Services: navigating the service system
  • Housing and Accommodation
  • Education, Training and Employment
  • Financial Counselling and Budgeting
  • Language, Literacy and Numeracy
  • Mental Health Information and Support
  • Relationships Skills Enhancement
  • Loss and Grief
  • Conflict resolution
  • Obtaining Learners Permits and Licence
  • Cooking and Nutrition
  • Health and Wellbeing
  • Sexual Health
  • Connect to Social and Recreational activities

The project's immediate outcomes for young homeless migrants and refugees were that it:

  • Improved their
    • understanding and access to appropriate housing, financial resources, psychological, emotional health, wellbeing and quality of life
    • relationships with peers and their local community that would lead to accommodation, emotional and wellbeing support, links to employment, and sense of belonging
    • understanding of appropriate ethical and protective behavioural practices
    • independent living skills
  • Educated them to identify and avoid dangerous/anti-social situations
  • Assisted them to
    • build and sustain respectful relationships
    • secure affordable, safe and sustainable housing
  • Connected them to education and training with a view to gaining employment
  • Created community connections to enhance their wellbeing and resilience
  • Enabled them to reach their full potential and brought about long term positive sustainable change in their lives

Young homeless people, including those from a migrant and refugee background, participating in this project were not left floundering in the service system trying to navigate and access relevant supports.  They were introduced to relevant agencies and resources in a coordinated manner and this increased their resilience and wellbeing - see Stephen: Stable skills for life, for one young man's experience of the project.

Project Partners / Stakeholders

This project involved a range of stakeholders in the Whittlesea, Merri-bek and Melton local government areas working with Hope Street to plan and deliver the project such as family violence providers, ethno specific community leaders, new and emerging community network service providers and the following organisations:

Featured Partners

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