Our Board of Directors, management and staff are committed to the delivery of responsive and comprehensive services to young people and our communities in accordance with our organisation's vision, purpose and values. The professionalism, drive and shared values of our teams, some of whom are featured below, provide safe, welcoming, youth-focussed services to young people and young families.
Executive Leadership
Donna Bennett
Chief Executive Officer
Donna Bennett has in excess of 25 years' experience managing and delivering transitional, outreach and crisis accommodation services to young people including families and she has made a significant contribution in the Homelessness Sector via capacity building, community development and systems development.
Donna has established leadership and strategic development skills and has been CEO of Hope Street since 2000.
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Frank Scifo
Business Development and Partnerships Manager
Frank Scifo commences at Hope Street in the role of Business Development and Partnerships Manager in January 2021. Frank has accumulated more than 10 years of experience in senior leadership roles that have included sales, marketing, and business development responsibilities. Frank’s experience extends across multiple sectors including business events, learning and development, and hospitality.
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Riette Veldsman
People and Culture Manager
Riette Veldsman joined Hope Street in August 2018 and has worked in Human Resources in the disability services sector for over seven years.
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Program Teams
Below are some of our team members who are helping young people and young famiilies find a safe place to call home.
Matthew Johnston, Case Manager
I have been working in the community services field, across quite varied environments, for 7 years which has proven to be both challenging and rewarding. These areas have been composed of working with young people in correctional settings, the Education First Youth Foyer model and now as a case manager at Hope Street's Brunswick West Youth Refuge.
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Co-located Program Teams
Team members from the following partnering organisations work closely with Hope Street. These partnerships enhance our capacity to provide specialist services in response to the complex needs of young people and young families experiencing homelessness.
- NorthWestern Mental Health (NWMH): A Homeless Youth Dual Diagnosis Initiative (HYDDI) Practitioner from NWMH's Substance Use and Mental Illness Treatment Team (SUMITT), co-located at Hope Street, provides specialist clinical dual diagnosis support to youth homelessness services in the north of Melbourne.
- Bolton Clarke: An onsite specialist youth-focussed nurse from their Homeless Persons Program assists with general health assessments of our young people and makes appropriate referrals to specialist health care, including dental, optical, pathology, sexual health, and pregnancy/parenting support.
Hope Street's partnerships with other community organisations provides additional specialist services to assist young people in areas such as legal issues support, housing and tenancy management, budgeting, and life skills education to prepare them for independent living.
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