Over Christmas and the holiday season, Hope Street Youth and Family Services will provide safe accommodation and outreach services for young people and young families who are experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness. Our specialist youth homelessness service will be supporting roughly 80 young people aged 16-25 years old, plus 22 of their dependent children aged 0-8 years old, across its sites in Brunswick, Whittlesea and Melton.

Donna Bennett, Hope Street's CEO, said Christmas can be a particularly challenging time for young people who are experiencing homelessness. "They may be missing family with whom they used to celebrate special occasions, and it's also a time of increased financial stress and pressure, particularly for young people with children who have high hopes of receiving a Christmas gift," said Donna.

The Hope Street First Response Youth Mobile Outreach Service, a youth homelessness service that operates in the Melton area, ran an Olympic Relay Medley on Thursday 7 November to raise awareness and support for local youth homelessness.

The event, called Help Us Help Them, took place at Melton Waves where service providers, government, businesses and organisations from the Melton community were invited to compete as a team in the fun Olympics, including three events:

For Hope Street, 2018-2019 was a year for building hope, both literally and metaphorically. On Wednesday 20 November, we celebrated the achievements of Hope Street’s teams, young people and the partners and supporters behind our impact.

The Week Without Violence (WWV), held 14 - 20 October this year, is an annual world-wide campaign to end violence against women.

1 in 3 Australian women over the age of 15 has experienced physical or sexual violence and/or emotional abuse by an intimate partner. Family violence takes a profound and long-term toll on women and children’s health and wellbeing, on families and communities, and on society as a whole. Together, we can change attitudes and the gender inequality that is a cause and consequence of violence against women and children.

Hope Street will mark World Homeless Day, 10 October, with a food, art and music event hosted by Woodgrove Shopping Centre in Melton, and by debunking homelessness myths as part of the #HomelessTruths campaign.

A Sign of Hope Event, Woodgrove Shopping Centre

The event aims to raise awareness of the misconceptions surrounding youth homelessness, and the valuable services Hope Street provides for vulnerable young people.

A much-loved Brunswick ethical roastery and café celebrated its 10-year anniversary in October by raising funds for young people who are experiencing homelessness.

Wide Open Road, situated at 274 Barkly Street, donated proceeds from all coffees sold between 18 and 20 October 2019 to Hope Street Youth and Family Services, a specialist youth homelessness service provider. Hope Street operates a youth refuge in Brunswick that provides supported crisis accommodation to young people and young families who are experiencing homelessness.

Hootan Heydari, Co-founder of Wide Open Road, said the team elected to mark their 10-year anniversary by giving back to the community. "Marking our 10-year anniversary by supporting our community’s most vulnerable people – young people who are homeless – feels fitting to us. Whilst we love coffee as a product, what actually keeps us going are the people and the communities that support and are supported by coffee," he said.

The Hope Street First Response Youth Mobile Outreach Service, an innovative place-based model of youth homelessness response, marked its first year of operation in the City of Melton in July 2019. The service launched in July 2018, thanks to a major grant from The Ian Potter Foundation and funding from Hope Street, and has thus far supported 202 young people who are experiencing homelessness – much more than the anticipated 100 young people per year.

Available seven days a week, the First Response Youth Mobile Outreach Service provides local mobile crisis support for young people and young families experiencing (and at risk of experiencing) homelessness. The support provided to young people includes emergency accommodation, meal and grocery vouchers, clothing, emergency back packs containing personal toiletry items, support to engage in employment and education opportunities, assistance navigating the homelessness system and referrals to relevant services.

Jennifer Hansen, an acclaimed journalist, TV newsreader, blogger and radio announcer, has announced she has taken on an Ambassadorship with Hope Street.

Jen broke the news during National Homelessness Week to her More Music Breakfast Show listeners on smoothfm 91.5 Melbourne, saying she was shocked to learn that there are some 6000 homeless young people in her home town of Melbourne.

Hope Street will mark Homelessness Week by calling for Melburnians to provide Welcome Home packs for young people who are experiencing homelessness.

The packs contain essential self-care items, such as towels and toiletries, and are distributed to young people when they first enter a Hope Street program, such as crisis accommodation in Hope Street’s youth refuges. A pack costs $30 and donations are tax deductible.

In July 2019 Hope Street made a submission to the Royal Commission into Victoria's Mental Health System.

Dear Hope Street partners and supporters,

Mental health and homelessness have a bidirectional relationship, with poorer mental health associated with a lower likelihood of achieving stable housing, and unstable housing contributing to worsening mental health. International studies have revealed that up to 98% of youth have at least one mental health disorder. In Australia, just over 50% of young people report having been diagnosed with at least one mental health condition, and that does not include those who are not yet formally diagnosed.

The issue of lack of services forcing young homeless people to move away from their support network was in the spotlight this week when Hayden Champion Silver, 21, asked a panel of politicians why there were limited services in growth corridors.

Hope Street Youth and Family Services, a Melbourne specialist youth homelessness service provider, shined the nation's spotlight onto the growing rates of youth homelessness and the need for more youth homelessness services in growth corridors during an appearance on the ABC's panel discussion program Q & A on 15 July 2019.

Hayden Champion Silver, a 21 year old young person with lived experience of homelessness, posed the following question to the panel during the Melbourne live studio broadcast:

I'm 21 years old and I became homeless in November last year after leaving a traumatic home situation. I'm from Melton in Melbourne's West. There was no crisis accommodation available for me in my area, so I had to move to a youth refuge 40 kilometres away when Hope Street Youth and Family Services found me a place. The experience of having to move caused me more trauma and I wish I could have received the support and accommodation I needed in my home community. My question is: why are youth homelessness services not more available in growth corridors around Australia, despite these areas having some of the highest rates of domestic violence and youth homelessness?

Peter Khalil paid a visit to a local youth refuge run by Hope Street Youth and Family Services on Tuesday 14 May, just days out from the federal election.

Hope Street invited Peter to the refuge as part of Everybody's Home, a campaign that unites the not for profit housing, homelessness and community sectors with the nation's largest charities in calling for leaders to fix Australia's housing system so that everybody has a home.

On 8 May 2019 Hope Street was awarded a cheque for $5000 from the City of Melton’s Community Grants Program. The funding will be used to purchase emergency accommodation for young people experiencing homelessness in Melton.

Olivia Myeza, Hope Street’s Business Development and Partnerships Manager, attended the cheque handover ceremony and is pictured here with the Mayor of Melton, Cr Bob Turner.

Hope Street, a leading specialist youth homelessness service provider in Victoria, plans to establish a First Response Youth Service in the City of Whittlesea, a growth corridor reporting high rates of youth homelessness.

Hope Street has been providing specialist homelessness housing and support programs in the City of Whittlesea since 2008, and the First Response Youth Service will complete the local place-based offering. There is currently no youth refuge in the area.

In June 2018 the Hope Street First Response Youth Mobile Outreach Service launched in Melton thanks to a four year $1.8 million grant from The Ian Potter Foundation, operating out of Hope Street’s existing transitional housing site in Melton until its future move across to the new First Response Youth Service once the building is complete.

Available seven days a week from 10am until midnight,^{REFER UPDATE BELOW} the First Response Youth Mobile Outreach Service provides local mobile crisis support for young people and young families experiencing (and at risk of experiencing) homelessness. Support provided includes crisis accommodation, meal vouchers, assistance navigating the homelessness service sector, and referrals to other support services. Support is mobile and can go to wherever the young person is – a friend’s house, a park, a school, etc.

Construction of the Hope Street First Response Youth Service (Youth Refuge) continues in Melton, with building due for completion later this year. In the meantime, the First Response Youth Refuge Interim Model has gone live as of Tuesday 12 March!

Two private rental properties have been secured to provide supported crisis accommodation until the Youth Refuge building is completed. Both houses are…

On 18 and 19 March, Hope Street’s Business Development and Partnerships Manager, Olivia Myeza, and People and Culture Advisor, Riette Veldsman, attended the National Youth Homelessness Conference at Melbourne Town Hall. The conference was the first national homelessness conference focused solely on youth to be held in Australia in 20 years.

In 2008, the combined advocacy of the National Youth Commission (NYC) Inquiry into Youth Homelessness through its recommendations and report Australia’s Homeless Youth, and The Oasis documentary brought youth homelessness into the public spotlight. This had a significant impact on public perceptions and policy on youth homelessness, however in the interim this issue has gradually dropped off the public radar. This conference built upon the findings of the 2007/08 National Youth Commission Inquiry into Youth Homelessness and assessed the progress that has been made in the last 10 years. The event brought together experts and like-minded individuals and groups to learn from the past, plan for the future, and act to end youth homelessness.

On Thursday 7 March, a select group of corporate and philanthropic leaders gathered for a breakfast function in support of Hope Street, hosted generously by Sofitel Melbourne On Collins.

The event was emceed by Clive Scott, General Manager of Sofitel Melbourne On Collins and a founding member of Hope Street’s Corporate Committee, and included addresses by:

Youth Homelessness Matters Day (YHMD) is a national annual campaign, aimed at raising awareness of youth homelessness amongst decision makers and the wider community. The day, Wednesday 17 April 2019, falls in the middle of National Youth Week, a time when the country’s attention is on the plight of young Australians.

More than 28,000 young Australians aged 12 to 25 years old do not have a home, due mostly to them escaping conflict and violence. Once homeless, it is almost impossible for young people to find a home due to the housing affordability crisis in Australia. Youth homelessness is often hidden from view as young people experiencing homelessness stay in refuges, couch surf at friends’ houses, or sleep in their cars.

The City of Whittlesea played host to a panel discussion on youth homelessness on Tuesday 07 May, attended by homelessness service providers, government representatives, community members and young people with lived experience of homelessness.

The event, called Young and Homeless in the City of Whittlesea, was organised by Hope Street Youth and Family Services, one of Melbourne's longest serving specialist youth homelessness service providers, in partnership with Baseline for Young People at City of Whittlesea and Council to Homeless Persons.

Whether you’re walking, running or pushing a pram, every step in the City of Melton's 5km Fun Run/Walk is a step forward for young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

The run/walk will take place around the Toolern Creek Trail on Saturday 27 April 2019 and all proceeds will go to Hope Street's crisis accommodation facility in Melton.

Sian* is a mother of three from the Melton area who has overcome adversity and created a positive new future for herself and her young family with the support of Hope Street Youth and Family Services.

Ever wondered what it would be like to have three children in your care and nowhere to call home? It's an upsetting thought for any parent, yet for a number of young families in the Melton region it's a reality that, for various reasons, they have to face.

Hope Street is thrilled to reveal our very own anthem, an original song composed just for Hope Street, called Live Life With Hope.  A music video has been produced using the song and recent photographs taken of current Hope Street clients, to provide a glimpse into what being young and homeless looks like in Melbourne in 2019.

Please share the video below to spread the word about Hope Street’s work in responding to youth homelessness.

Homelessness organisations from Melbourne’s north and west have been holding emergency talks today at the launch of a report by the North & West Homelessness Networks (NWHNs) that reveals that homelessness services are struggling to find suitable accommodation for people in crisis.

A Crisis in Crisis: The appalling state of emergency accommodation in Melbourne’s north and west reveals that the 423 official, government-funded crisis beds in Victoria are overflowing and there is no affordable housing for people when they exit homelessness services. 

Jesse (name changed to protect his identity) is 21 years old and has been living in a Hope Street residential unit for the past three years, after becoming homeless at the age of 16 when his family kicked him out.

"I failed year 11 because I got diagnosed with diabetes that year and before the diagnosis I kept falling asleep in class – I just couldn't keep my eyes open. I ended up in hospital for a month. When I got out I tried my hardest to get back into schooling and to do well, but I ended up failing. My parents, they didn't like that."

Christmas can be a challenging time for young people who are experiencing homelessness, but Hope Street Youth and Family Services and its corporate partners are doing what they can to spread some festive cheer.

Four corporate partners - Ecodynamics, Mirvac, Woodgrove Shopping Centre and Stramit – have joined with Hope Street for a Christmas appeal that will see over 70 young people receive Christmas gifts, food hampers and gift vouchers. The youth are either accommodated at Hope Street's refuge or residential accommodation sites in Brunswick, Whittlesea or Melton, or are receiving outreach services.

Each Hope Street site has also received a Christmas tree, which the young people have helped to decorate.

Renowned photographer Shannyn Higgins conducted a photo shoot for Hope Street on 17 January. Shannyn visited three Hope Street sites across Melbourne – Brunswick, Thomastown and Melton - and photographed 16 young clients aged 16-24 years old, and two of their newborn babies.

The photos will be used through marketing materials to communicate the work that Hope Street does and the impact the organisation has on young people who are experiencing homelessness.

American writer Marjorie Holmes once said: "at Christmas, all roads lead home." And yet, this Christmas more than 24,000 Victorians, of which a quarter are aged between 12 and 24 years old, will be homeless.

With incidents of youth homelessness expected to spike over the holiday season, Hope Street Youth and Family Services will be 'home' for a number of teenagers and young people.

Donna Bennett, Hope Street's CEO, said the specialist youth homeless service will be bracing for busy times with the last week of December and early January predictably busy periods for the youth homelessness sector.

"For the young people spending the holiday season in a refuge, Christmas can be a particularly challenging time," Ms Bennett said. "It is another reminder that they are not celebrating special occasions with their own family in their own home."

A Melton community centre providing a safe refuge for homeless youth has been revitalised thanks to a grant from Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) / Tabcorp Park. The $5000 grant was used to purchase youth-friendly furniture and equipment for the youth community centre at the Melton site of Hope Street Youth and Family Services.

Items purchased with the grant included brightly coloured beanbags, chairs and tables, an overhead projector and screen, canvas paintings for the walls, a microphone and speaker, a children’s slide, play mats and table/chair set, educational posters and child play supplies such as colouring pencils, books and puzzles. The community centre is utilised by young people and young families who are being accommodated at Hope Street in Melton due to experiencing homelessness, as well as other community groups providing services to vulnerable community members. The centre is also being used by young people from the local area as a safe space for them to conduct their homework.

Hope Street in Melton, a specialised youth homelessness service and residential accommodation site, received a make-over of its grounds this week when a team of 40 staff from property developer Mirvac volunteered their time to run a working bee.

Hope Street Youth and Family Services is one of the longest established specialist youth homelessness services in Victoria, and its site in Melton provides residential accommodation and intensive one-to-one support and case management to local young people and young families who are experiencing homelessness – housing eight young single people and two young families at a time.

On Thursday 30 August 2018, Hope Street CEO, Donna Bennett, gave a presentation at the Impact100 Melbourne 2018/2019 Theme Launch - Youth Homelessness.

Impact100 Melbourne is a group of 100 diverse donors who are collectively empowered to make a significant impact on issues affecting their local community. Each year, this passionate giving circle focuses on a social issue and directs strategically-targeted grants to local not-for-profits in Melbourne.

A turning of the sod event took place in Melton on 21 September 2018 to celebrate the start of the construction of a purpose-built youth refuge which will accommodate young people and young families experiencing homelessness.

The state-of-the-art youth refuge, called the Hope Street First Response Youth Service in Melton, will consist of eight individual bedrooms for young people and a two-bedroom family unit, and will accommodate 100 young people experiencing homelessness each year. It is a project of non-profit organisation Hope Street Youth and Family Services - one of the longest established specialist youth homelessness services in Victoria.

Close to 200 Melton residents attended a BABBA show at WestWaters Hotel and Entertainment Complex on Saturday 20 October to raise funds for youth homeless service provider, Hope Street Youth and Family Services.

The evening event included a performance by the world’s leading ABBA tribute group BABBA, entertainment by well-known comedian Elliot Goblett, a three-course meal, a live auction and a silent auction. Funds raised will be used to purchase emergency accommodation and meals for young people and young families experiencing homelessness.

Woodgrove Shopping Centre, Hope Street's tremendous corporate partner in Melton, has continued to show their inspirational support of young people and young families who experience homelessness with their latest project: Stories of Hope.

This special project involves videos of Hope Street's young people sharing their experience of being homeless and about the assistance they received from Hope Street. Together with the Sign of Hope installation at the shopping centre, these stories of hope featured on Woodgrove Shopping Centre's website highlight the strengths of young people.

The Hope Street First Response Youth Service in Melton (Youth Refuge) has reached a major milestone that will see the project move to its next phase of becoming a reality for young people and their children.

The State Government is a key contributor of capital funding for this project and Hope Street is pleased to announce Shee Oak Ridge Pty Ltd as the appointed builder for this initiative.

On Friday 17 August 2018, the official findings from research into the effectiveness of the Hope to Home (Melton and Whittlesea) pilot programs were released in a report launched at Victoria University, Footscray Park.

The launch featured:

• Stories of Hope video in which two young people shared their experience of homelessness and the assistance they received from Hope Street, produced by Woodgrove Shopping Centre Melton
• Donna Bennett, Hope Street CEO opening the launch and introducing key speakers
• Dr Michelle Ball, Senior Lecturer in Psychology at Victoria University, member of the Institute for Health and sport (iHeS) and Deputy Head of the Clinical and Community Health and Wellbeing Research Program
• Dr Peter Gill and Dr Daniel Ooi, Victoria University researchers and members of the Institute for Health and sport (iHeS) presenting the report findings
• Zara, one of the young participants in the Hope to Home in Whittlesea pilot program who, through a live interview with Hope Street Programs Manager (North East), Christine Fagan, recounted how the program helped her and her young family to find a safe place to call home and enabled her to continue her studies.

The Hope Street First Response Youth Mobile Outreach Service in Melton, a new service that directly reaches out to vulnerable young people in the local government area and surrounding suburbs*, was launched today.

Hope Street specialises in assisting and responding to the immediate needs of young people and young families at risk of or experiencing homelessness, with a focus on intervention strategies to achieve stability, safety and improve the overall wellbeing of the young person and their children. 

A new installation at Woodgrove Shopping Centre is offering a sign of hope to vulnerable young people and young families in Melton.

Woodgrove Shopping Centre has been a proud supporter of Hope Street since 2015. Their partnership with Hope Street strives to continue supporting young people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, through fundraising events and awareness raising initiatives.

Hope Street, in partnership with Kirrip House, recently ran a competition to find a piece of artwork that will welcome young people into the Hope Street Community Hall in Melton.

The competition was an opportunity for young artists of Aboriginal or Torres Strait Islander heritage who were 13 to 25 years old and living in the Melton local government area, to showcase their incredible artwork during NAIDOC Week (08 - 15 July).

Thank you to everyone who entered the competition - the decision was difficult as the standard of artwork was very high.

And the winners are...

Hope Street was announced as the winner of the City of Melton Business Excellence Community Contribution Award 2018 at a Gala Dinner on Friday 31 August 2018. Hope Street CEO, Donna Bennett, and Programs Manager (North West), Norman Vella attended with guests from the Kirrip Aboriginal Corporation in Melton.

The awards acknowledge the contributions of local organisations displaying excellence in the City of Melton and after five months, two rounds of judging and over 130 nominations, finalists competed for awards in one of 13 categories. Hope Street was one of three finalists for the Community Contribution Award category, sponsored by MatchWorks Bacchus Marsh.

Hope Street welcomes the State Government's commitment to breaking the cycle of homelessness and the Federal Government’s funding boost to further research into housing and homelessness announced in their Budgets this month.

Accessing safe and affordable housing is a major issue in Australia. Rising house prices, high rents, unemployment and low levels of social security payments are just some of the structural factors contributing to an increase in homelessness over the last year. Young people and young families who experience mental health, drug and alcohol, disability and family violence issues increasingly find themselves disadvantaged when trying to access the housing market.

Hope Street is in the early stages of exploring the establishment of a new youth crisis accommodation centre in South Morang, in partnership with the City of Whittlesea Council.

Hope Street would run the proposed Whittlesea facility and associated 24-hour, seven day-a-week response service using the same model as the Hope Street First Response Youth Service in Melton and Hope Street First Response Youth Mobile Outreach Service in Melton.

I am pleased to announce that Mark Dixon has been appointed as Operations Manager at Hope Street.

Mark is very familiar with Specialist Homelessness Services and his extensive experience in the homelessness sector has included managing programs for young people, transitional housing programs and support services.  Mark has worked in small and large non-government agencies and he is very passionate about supporting young people.

Mark will commence his Operations Manager position on Monday 04 June 2018.

On behalf of the Board of Directors, management and team members, I welcome Mark to Hope Street.

Donna Bennett
CEO

On Youth Homelessness Matters Day, Hope Street joined the Council to Homeless Persons and Melbourne City Mission to launch the April 2018 Young People, Trauma and Homelessness edition of Parity.

Hope Street, one of the edition sponsors, has contributed a number of articles to this edition which examines trauma as a cause of youth homelessness, its impact on young people experiencing homelessness and how understanding trauma can assist those helping young people out of homelessness.

Hope Street is delighted to have received several bicycles built by Ecodynamics for our young people and young families in Brunswick and Melton.

On 21 February 2018, our Corporate Partner Ecodynamics held their annual Group Strategy Day at the Abbotsford Convent. As part of Ecodynamic’s Strategic Plan, the group is implementing an extensive Grassroots Program and has partnered with Hope Street to assist wherever possible in helping disadvantaged youth and young families.

Hope Street congratulates Odyssey House Victoria and all consortium members for being the successful provider of the new headspace facility in the City of Melton.

headspace is a specialist program providing early intervention mental and related physical health services to young people and young families. This is a significant win for young people and young families, as well as the community of Melton, as stated by NWMPHN CEO Adj/Associate Professor Christopher Carter:

"Melton has the highest rates of psychological distress of any local government area in Victoria, with 20.7% of people reporting high or very high psychological distress – nearly double the state average." -- New headspace service to boost youth mental health in Melton

We are delighted to inform you that the Hope Street First Response Youth Mobile Outreach Service in Melton submission has been approved by The Ian Potter Foundation.

The funding is for a total amount of $1.8 million over 5 years and Hope Street was only one of five organisations funded nationally as part of the foundation’s Major Grants round this year.

Donna Bennett, CEO, looks back over a busy and fulfilling year for Hope Street and ahead to another year of achieving the best possible outcomes for young people and making a meaningful difference in their lives.

Dear Friends and Supporters of Hope Street

I would like to thank you for your continued commitment to Hope Street and for your dedicated support of young people and young families at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

Last Christmas, Woodgrove Shopping Centre partnered with City of Melton Youth Services in a charity gift wrapping service to support Hope Street's work with young people and young families.

From 18 December through to Christmas Eve outside Kmart at the Woodgrove Shopping Centre, gifts were being beautifully wrapped by the Youth Services team, who offer a huge range of programs and events for young people between the ages of 12-25 in the City of Melton. This includes drop-in programs offering a safe space to hang out, meet new friends, engage in fun activities and find out about other services for youth. The City of Melton Youth Services is committed to ensuring the safety and wellbeing of all young people.

On Thursday 30 November 2017, our Annual General Meeting was held at the Hope Street Community Hall in Melton.

The AGM featured Guest Speaker Dr Daniel Ooi, Social Work Program, Victoria University and Hope Street’s young people.

Hope Street CEO, Donna Bennett, is thrilled to announce that the Victorian Government has allocated further vital funding for the Hope Street First Response Youth Service in Melton.

Dear Supporters and Friends of Hope Street

The additional $1.276 million for the Hope Street First Response Youth Service in Melton brings the State Government's total contribution to $2.476 million towards the capital build cost of the specialist youth supported crisis accommodation centre (youth refuge).  We are very grateful to the State Government for their commitment to the project which will provide support and accommodation to young people and young families in crisis as a result of and impacted by homelessness or at risk of becoming homeless in the municipality of Melton and neighbouring communities.

Kirrip Aboriginal Corporation and Hope Street came together on Saturday 27 May 2017 to celebrate National Reconciliation Week with the community.

National Reconciliation Week occurs every 27 May – 03 June and commemorates two important milestones in Australia's reconciliation journey: the 1967 referendum and the High Court Mabo decision.  It is also an opportunity for everyone to learn more about Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander history and culture.

On 07 July 2017, a special dinner was held to raise funds towards the building and construction of the Hope Street First Response Youth Service in Melton.

Thank you to all our event attendees who enjoyed a fun, construction-themed night with delicious food and great entertainment at the Sofitel Melbourne On Collins.  We also acknowledge the event sponsors who provided the many great prizes won at our auction, raffle and silent auction, and our official event photographer, Zheljana Peric, who took the fantastic photos that can be seen in our photo album.

‘MAN to MAN’ shows the story of five men and their journey through the 2016 Sons of the West Program.

The Western Bulldogs Community Foundation have partnered with Melton City Council to deliver Sons of the West which is a FREE health program for men aged 18 and over living, working and recreating in Victoria’s west. It consists of programs aimed to improve men's mental health and physical health through a series of workshops, presentations, events and experiences. The ‘Premiership Season’ is the second of three programs run over the calendar year.

On 17 May 2017, workers supporting young people gathered for an afternoon of information sharing, building networks and learning more about minimising living expenses and housing overheads for young people on low incomes in their rental properties or public housing. 

Each year Hope Street holds a community capacity building event where staff in the homelessness sector can learn about new research and resources available to young people who are homeless or in threat of being homeless. The forum, held at the Harry Atkinson Art and Craft Centre in Coburg, was for youth workers, homelessness staff and anyone working with young people.

Hope Street is once again proud to be one of the recipients of the proceeds of the annual Community Charity Race Night organised by the Rotary Clubs of Melton and Melton Valley.

The harness racing fundraising event held in October last year raised $4,188 for Hope Street. In his speech at the Cheque Presentation evening on Tuesday 11 April 2017, Jeremie Mbog Nyetam, Program Coordinator of the Hope Street In Melton and Hope Street In Whittlesea programs, announced that this generous donation will go towards the Hope Street First Response Youth Service in Melton. This is a purpose-built crisis accommodation centre that will provide emergency accommodation and specialist support services to approximately 100 young people/families a year in the City of Melton.

On 07 April 2017, the Council to Homeless Persons launched its "Giving Voice: Young People Experiencing and Responding to Homelessness" edition of their national publication, Parity.  This issue features young people speaking for themselves and giving voice to their story of how they became homeless in the first place and what happened to them next.

Speakers at the launch included:

• Guy Johnson, Associate Professor of Urban Housing and Homelessness, RMIT, will launch the edition
• Sherri Bruinhout, General Manager, Homelessness and Justice
• Jenny Smith, CEO Council to Homeless Persons
• Vicki Sutton, CEO Melbourne City Mission
• Bruce Tucker, Interim Operations Manager, Hope Street Youth and Family Services

The Australian Government is seeking ways to make more community housing available to those finding it increasingly difficult to rent affordable homes.

ABC News' political reporter, Stephanie Anderson, writes:

Low income earners struggling with rent could soon get a helping hand from the Commonwealth as it works towards a government bank to fund community housing.

The Government is flagging action on affordable housing amid an ongoing political battle over the issue.

It is establishing a taskforce to design a government lender that would provide cheap loans to community housing organisations...

On the first day of a beautiful Melbourne Autumn morning, heartfelt messages of hope were left for homeless young people in Melton.

Since 2015 Woodgrove Shopping Centre has partnered with Hope Street to fight youth homelessness in the West. With the success of the Tree of Hope has come the Letters of Hope which was unveiled on 01 March. The installation, located at the Grove outside the Bank of Melbourne entry, is comprised of four letters: H-O-P-E. Colourful keytags obtained from Woodgrove or participating retailers for a gold coin donation, have a personal message written upon them and are then attached to one of the letters.

Hope Street wishes to advise that we have moved our Head Office to the Brunswick Town Hall.

Hope Street’s CEO Office, HR department and centralized operations will now be based at Level 1, 233 Sydney Road, Brunswick, Victoria, 3056.  We are currently in the process of changing our postal address.

Towards the end of last year, several staff members were recognised for their valued service to Hope Street Youth and Family Services.

On Thursday 15 December 2016 Hope Street held its annual Staff Recognition Awards where the following members of our teams were acknowledged for their commitment and professionalism:

As 2016 draws to close, we find ourselves reflecting on the past year and looking forward to the year ahead. 

Hope Street Youth and Family Services thanks our partners, supporters and donors who have helped to shape the future of many young people and young families in a most significant way.  Together with our teams, you are the foundation of the successful and sustainable outcomes that meet the needs of young people and their children who are at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

Hope Street Mission - ‘To seek, advocate and facilitate social change to meet the needs of young people and their children. To empower young people to overcome disadvantage and to achieve their hopes and future goals.’

Dear Friends and Supporters of Hope Street,

Firstly, I would like to say a big thank you for your continued support of Hope Street in 2016. Homelessness continues to be a major social issue - increasingly becoming more visible with more and more young people (as well as young families) finding themselves without a place to call home. With the cost of living sky-rocketing; unaffordability in the rental market; and a weekly Centrelink Youth Allowance payment averaging around $200, a homeless young person lives 57% below the Henderson Poverty Line. Even prior to making contact with a homeless service, a young person experiencing homelessness is likely to have already couch surfed with friends and family and/or been made vulnerable by staying in unsafe and/or unconventional environmental settings. In a society as wealthy as Australia – this is unacceptable.

A fundraising golf event teed off not long ago, raising awareness and funds for homeless young people and young families.

On Monday 10 October, Woodlea held their annual Charity Golf Day at the Latrobe Golf Club, with proceeds going to Hope Street, their nominated charity of choice for the event.  Hope Street CEO, Donna Bennett, and Service Development Manager, Bruce Tucker, attended the event’s dinner, at which Ms Bennett conducted a well-received presentation.

On Monday 12 December, a cheque for the amazing amount of $6,237 was presented by Woodlea to Ms Bennett in Melton.

StreetSmart Australia is helping to provide a place for homeless and at risk young people to explore and develop their creative and life skills.

Hope Street is thrilled to be a recipient of one of StreetSmart Australia’s 2016 CafeSmart Community Small Grants.  Adjacent to Hope Street in Melton is a Community Centre which is currently used as an activity and learning space. The grant of $1,250 will enable Hope Street to rejuvenate the Centre into a more youth friendly and welcoming environment for artistic expression, workshops and life skills education.

Homelessness sector leaders are calling on the Federal Government to renew their commitment to homelessness funding beyond June 2017.

On 24 February 2017, the first meeting of the Hope Street in Whittlesea's Advisory Committee was held at the Office of Lily D'Ambrosio MP, in partnership with a broad range of organisations. The advisory group provides guidance in supporting young people in our Hope to Home in Whittlesea pilot program.

Late last year Hope Street welcomed the Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation's commitment to our new pilot program. As one of their 2016 Innovation Grant Recipients, Hope Street is able to support young people and young families as they transition into a place they can call home that is affordable, sustainable and long-term. The Foundation has a strong focus on being part of a community wide response to addressing homelessness through their support of innovative early intervention projects and affordable housing initiatives.

On Tuesday 29 November, Hope Street launched the architectural plans of its new supported crisis accommodation centre in Melton. There was also a fantastic Talk and Performance by Hope Street’s talented young people, and much more as a part of the 2016 Annual General Meeting.

The event, held at our Hope Street Community Hall in Melton included a number of distinguished guests:

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.

Hope Street’s Hope to Home in Melton program has enabled four young people to find a place they can call home. The young people are the first two couples from the program to be moving out of homelessness and into affordable, long term rental accommodation.

In partnership with Gandel Philanthropy and Raine and Horne Melton, Hope Street actively supports at risk young people to access sustainable private housing by providing subsidised rent, building confidence, life skills and links to education, training and employment, and fostering enduring family and community connections.

Woodgrove Shopping Centre’s support for young people experiencing or at risk of homelessness continues to strengthen through their renewed commitment to Hope Street Youth and Family Services. Our ongoing partnership is exciting and wonderful news.

Woodgrove Shopping Centre have provided tremendous assistance to Hope Street through the promotion of our work with homeless young people and families and, in particular, for our Melton First Response campaign to establish a vital, rapid response youth service in Melton. Based in Melton, Woodgrove’s concern for vulnerable youth in their local community has translated into action in collaboration with Hope Street, such as hosting the launch of the Responding to Youth Homelessness in Outer Growth Corridors: A research project in response to youth homelessness in Melton research report and having an awareness and fund raising feature in their Centre – the Tree of Hope. Woodgrove have raised almost $5000 through various activities and events for Hope Street’s work with homeless young persons.

Today's launch of The Role of Community Development in Responding to Homelessness edition of the Council to Homeless Persons' Parity magazine has highlighted how essential community support is for helping those at risk of or experiencing homelessness.

Community development brings together members of the local community to enable members to identify and develop actions to address local needs.

On 24 August 2016, the Honourable Martin Foley, Minister for Housing, Disability and Ageing, Minister for Mental Health, Minister for Equality and Minister for Creative Industries launched the Council to Homeless Persons' edition of Parity magazine titled The Role of Community Development in Responding to Homelessness.

Hope Street CEO, Donna Bennett, and Service Development Manager, Bruce Tucker, have contributed two articles on community development and homelessness in this edition.

An entertaining early morning event awakens hope for young people.

On Thursday 26 May 2016, Tabcorp Park Melton, in partnership with Hope Street Youth and Family Services, hosted a fantastic Corporate Breakfast MC’ed by Rob Auber. The Corporate Breakfast provided the business community with the opportunity to learn more about how homelessness affects young people and the wider community, and how their business/company could assist Hope Street to build a new supported crisis accommodation centre for young people experiencing homelessness in Melton.

Hope Street applauds the Victorian government's funding announcement to increase immediate funding for crisis and emergency accommodation in Outer Growth Corridor Melton.

Today's comprehensive funding announcement by The Premier, Daniel Andrews, and Minister for Housing, Martin Foley, is a significant response to the recommendations of the Royal Commission into Family Violence. It acknowledges that young people who experience homelessness require specific tailored responses.

Hope Street has been working closely with various stakeholders in the LGA of Melton to establish an emergency accommodation facility along with specialist wrap around support services for over 220 young people experiencing homelessness. A youth refuge and community outreach services are designed to provide at risk young people with stable and safe accommodation and youth-specific supports.

Hope Street is the winner of the 2016 City of Melton Business Excellence Award - Matchworks Best Community Involvement Organisation.

MatchWorks Employer Solutions Consultant, David Fuller, presented the award to Hope Street representatives Andrew Nette (Chair of Board), Donna Bennett (CEO) and Jeremie Mbog Nyetam (Melton Program Coordinator) at the Venture Melton-hosted awards ceremony held on Friday 17 June 2016 at Tabcorp Park. 

Hope Street has put the call out to the Victorian government to help homeless youth and young families in the upcoming state budget.

Our recent Media Release on the Royal Commission into Family Violence: Report and Recommendations further highlighted the need to recognise and support the many young people experiencing homelessness due to family violence.  In the outer growth corridors of Melbourne this need has become urgent due to the lack of a first response centre in places like Melton.

In an interview with Melton Leader's Ami Humpage, Hope Street's Service Development Manager, Mandy Baxter, revealed that:

Just last week a couple were referred to Hope Street Melton because they had nowhere to go. They couldn’t get an appointment in the city for two weeks and without a first response centre in Melton, all we could do was put them up in a hotel for the night until we could find them a safe place to go outside of Melton.

Hope Street Youth and Family Services have welcomed the release of the Royal Commission into Family Violence: Report and Recommendations.

Hope Street made a submission to the hearings and says the recommendations that focus on young people and children highlight the need for specialist youth focused responses and are particularly critical for this cohort of people in our community experiencing family violence.

Fantastic fundraiser helps to build better futures for young people!

The My Hope Street Big Fat Fundraiser was held on Friday 24 June 2016 at Hellenic Republic in Kew, and was proudly organised by the Hope Street Corporate Committee with special thanks to Upfront Events. Guests were treated to a banquet of sumptuous Greek food, delectable wines, live and silent auctions and great prizes. The entertainment consisted of bouzouki players, a keyboard musician and a renowned Melbourne comedian.

From everyone at Hope Street Youth and Family Services, we wish you a very Happy Festive Season and may 2016 bring you Hope and Joy!

Gandel Philanthropy's funding grant for Hope to Home in Melton will help homeless young people and their families move into their own place.

Hope Street continues to be overwhelmed by the generosity of organisations such as Gandel Philanthropy and Raine and Horne Melton, and with the many individuals' donations to our Melton First Response campaign, either online or through the increasing numbers of butterflies of hope landing at Woodgrove Shopping Centre.

As a partner in our campaign, the Melton Leader has been instrumental in raising the community's awareness of the struggles young people and their families face when trying to get back on their feet in life without having a roof over their heads.

RDNS Homeless Person's Program youth nurse, Cath Flanagan, is the Community Oral Health Champion for 2015.

In July this year we featured a story, Nick is all smiles about his future, on Cath helping Nick access dental and other medical care. This Public Oral Health Award from Dental Health Services Victoria (DHSV) recognises Cath's initiative and dedication to ensuring that Nick and other homeless young people can get free, priority dental care to help them get their lives back on track without also having to deal with severe pain.

Cath has been instrumental in building a bridge of care between the dental service of Merri Community Health Services (MCHS - now known as Merri Health) and the Royal District Nursing Service (RDNS).

Hope Street invites you to our AGM.  The guest speaker will be Associate Professor David Mackenzie.

Please join us in celebrating the achievements of young people, our teams and the community.

The Council to Homeless Persons (CHP) has joined the call for the Victorian Government to fund the building of a new youth emergency accommodation facility in Melton. Meanwhile, the Director of a real estate agency is helping homeless youth find and rent a place of their own.

In today's Melton Leader news story by Andrew Rogers, CHP CEO Jenny Smith indicates that due to there being no facility in Melton, youth experiencing homelessness must go outside their local area. 

Hope Street's Service Development Manager, Mandy Baxter, says that local businesses have been inspired to get involved and support our plan for a new emergency accommodation facility for homeless youth in Melton.

Woodgrove Shopping Centre's Tree of Hope and Melton Leader's Centre of Hope campaign is continuing to raise awareness of local youth who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.

As the numbers of butterflies of hope on the tree grow in Melton, the call has gone out to local businesses and philanthropic organisations to join the community in supporting homeless youth and their families. Mandy has observed how a local need has attracted a local response:

It has been said that the fluttering of a butterfly's wings can effect climate changes on the other side of the planet.* Last Thursday a kaleidoscope of butterflies began appearing on a tree in Melton...

Thursday 24 September saw the launch of our Responding to Youth Homelessness in Outer Growth Corridors: A research project in response to youth homelessness in Melton at Woodgrove Shopping Centre. The event also revealed the Tree of Hope, a place where the local community can visit to leave messages and butterfly wings of hope for homeless young people and their families. All funds raised via Woodgrove Shopping Centre's Tree of Hope initiative are being donated to Hope Street.

Download

We are also very pleased to announce that Melton Leader has partnered with Hope Street to give Melton’s homeless youth a greater place in the minds and hearts of the community, and to help these young people get support within their local area.

Hope Street CEO, Donna Bennett's first job as a new graduate was as a Youth Housing Support Worker for young people with dependants in Broadmeadows, Victoria.   In this Parity magazine opinion piece, she reflects on how far young single mums have come - and how far we still have to go to support them.

What I saw and understood from my friends and life in regional Victoria did not prepare me however for the level of disadvantage, discrimination, negative judgements, poverty and isolation I soon learned about in my new role as a social worker.

Hope Street's Youth Reconciliation Program Practitioner, Louise Maree, says that miscommunication and misinterpretation within families can lead to a young person becoming homeless. In Parity magazine's August 2015 issue she writes about how young people and their families can reconnect.

In my role as the Youth Reconciliation Practitioner at Hope Street Youth and Family Services (Hope Street) I am constantly confronted with the life changing and pervasive negativity family disengagement has on a young person’s existence.

In support of the Melton City Council, Hope Street was delighted to attend the annual Mayoral Ball 2015 hosted by the Mayor Sophie Ramsey. 

Our organisation has been a part of the City of Melton community since 2009, with the establishment of our Hope Street in Melton program providing supported medium term accommodation to vulnerable local young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.   The Councillors and Officers of Melton City Council have been integral to the establishment of Hope Street In Melton, ensuring valuable community services are brought into the area and remain as a part of the Melton community.

Spring is a time of growth.  Hope Street needs your help to build a new youth crisis accommodation centre and we are launching Responding to Youth Homelessness in Outer Growth Corridors - all under a budding Tree of Hope.

From 18 September, the Tree of Hope will be an evolving display at the Woodgrove Shopping Centre. People will be able to buy and attach a butterfly to the tree and leave their messages of hope for young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. As the number of butterflies on the tree grows, so does the awareness of youth homelessness and how Hope Street helps vulnerable young persons establish roots in the community and realise their potential. This is a symbolic representation of the community's concern for homeless young people and their families.

Donna Bennett, CEO, has been nominated for the 2015 Victorian Homelessness Achievement Awards. These awards celebrate the exceptional efforts of specialist homelessness services, consumers and other community members to end homelessness in Victoria.

Donna's award nomination in the category of Excellence in ending homelessness among young people recognises her continued and tireless work, over the last 15 years at Hope Street, focussing on holistic and innovative approaches to addressing the complexity of youth and family homelessness. She has ensured that the voice of at risk and disadvantaged young people is represented and heard at local, state and national levels within the community, through grassroots engagement of young people and their families, and in her advocacy as an executive officer to local and federal members of parliament and departmental ministers.

Hope Street is proud to be a part of the North and West Local Area Services Networks’ More houses for people, a year-long campaign kicking off during Homelessness Prevention Week.

Hope Street’s CEO, Donna Bennett, is the chair of the Northern Local Area Services Network and she MC'd the campaign launch on Thursday 06 August 2015 at the Global Learning Centre in Broadmeadows.  The event included guest speakers, music, distribution of campaign postcards, selling of campaign t-shirts and a strong message that there are a number of doable strategies to solve homelessness experienced by over 22,000 Victorians each day - in particular, governments investing in affordable housing. 

Homeless youth shine while sharing their experiences through music.

On 24 June 2015, Hope Street hosted the Gold Stars CD launch, BOOM! BOOM is a compilation of songs written, produced and sung by young people who, for various reasons, have done it tough.  The songs are largely about their stories, they speak truth about life, with a whole lot of funk! 

Mandy Baxter, Service Development Manager at Hope Street, writes about the impact of youth homelessness in Melton and the Hope to Home project in Parity magazine's June 2015 issue.

As a prosperous rental market surges, the increase of a casualised labour market continues, the incidence of family violence rises and the cost of living catapults, it is the marginalised that continue to be shut out – Australia’s young and homeless – and particularly those in the growth corridors of Melbourne like Melton.

Without innovative solutions that offer long-term stability and the opportunity to create interdependence away from homelessness, the cycle of transience and homelessness is likely to not only continue and increase but, alarmingly for young people, will result in long term chronic homelessness.

Nick, a former Hope Street young person, can smile again, thanks to a wonderful nurse and free dental care program for homeless people.

Health issues have a pervasive detrimental influence on many aspects of a young person’s existence, and when that young person is also homeless or at risk of being homeless they face the additional barrier of limited or no access to adequate health care.

The Moreland Leader newspaper has a feature article on how Hope Street's RDNS nurse, Cath Flanagan, helped Nick access dental and other medical care which is now enabling him to get his studies, work and family life back on track, without the debilitating pain. Check out the article and video below which features Nick, Cath and Melinda (Senior Dentist at Merri Community Health Services [now known as Merri Health]):

The end of July brought the beginnings of new business contacts, knowledge about Hope Street — and early Christmas tidings!

On Thursday 30 July, a number of guests celebrated the festive season at a fabulous networking and fundraising morning presented by Q Networking Group in Kew. 

The Q Networking Group Christmas in July was a great success. A past Hope Street client, Connor, was the star of the show. Connor spoke to the Q Networking Group guests about his experience of Hope Street and how he was enabled to remain at school (he is currently completing Year 12) and finally find stable accommodation.

It was our pleasure to report on the activities and achievements of our organisation for the 2013/2014 period at our Annual General Meeting held on Tuesday 09 December 2014.   The AGM was held in Melton at our Hope Street Community Hall and included several highlights.

Hope Street has submitted a position paper that documents and makes recommendations to the Royal Commission into Family Violence on how to ensure that the lived experiences of the adolescent child who has been made homeless because of family violence are heard and appropriately responded to.

Hope Street has welcomed the recent surge of awareness towards exposing the horrific reality of family violence in Australia. Whilst the Government, the Media and Social Networks report that on average, one woman a week is murdered as a result of family violence (and this in itself is unacceptable), Hope Street is witness to the accumulative harm that family violence creates - the number of near misses, the witnessing of family violence, the experience of family violence either as the primary victim or secondary victim as well as the trauma and disconnect it creates for young people. In our experience young people are often voiceless in the family violence space; largely the focus is on women or women and their children but not the adolescent child: the young person.

Homeless youth in Hope Street's Gold Stars Music Program are sharing their stories through song.

The Gold Stars Music Program is a Hope Street initiative funded under Merri-bek City Council's Community Grants Program* whereby young people experiencing homelessness have been supported to use music to tell their stories in their own words. The results are varied and exciting.

Professional artists including Monica Weightman, Meriki Hood, FLYBZ, Dayelle Fitzgerald and the Houndlings have performed at the refuge and supported young people with writing and performing. Gold Key studios brought recording equipment to the refuge and to young people who had recently moved out and wanted to continue working on their songs.

Hope Street is facilitating several workshops as part of our Skills for Life 101 project which will provide practical information and support for young homeless people.

The free workshops are open to Hope Street's clients and will help them to actively participate in the community, gain confidence and learn living skills. 

The following workshops have been completed or are currently being delivered:

• For Art Sake: Dream Weaver and Mandalas
• I Would Walk: 1000 Steps Challenge
• What’s the Legal Matter? (continuing)
• Hope Street Gold Stars (music program - some of our Gold Stars performed at the recent RDNS Where the Heart Is... Community Festival 2015)

The City of Melton celebrates the achievements of young people in the Melton local government area by hosting the annual Youth Advisory Committee (YAC) Awards Night.  On Friday 17 April 2015, three of our young people received YAC Awards at this special event held at the WestWaters Hotel & Entertainment Complex in Caroline Springs.

The YAC is a committee consisting of young people between the ages of 12 and 25 who are passionate about being leaders within their local community of Melton.

At Hope Street, Mandala Workshops are presented as a non-religious, therapeutic and creative tool in which young people are invited to participate and express themselves through the colouring in of Mandalas.

What is a Mandala?

The word "Mandala" is from the classical Indian language of Sanskrit and means 'circle'. The Mandala has been derived from Hinduism and Buddhism representing the Universe. The colouring in and creation of Mandalas has therapeutic benefits: the gentle rhythmic colouring-in motion relaxes young people whilst at the same time encourages creativity, expression and participation.

Jenny Smith, CEO of the Council to Homeless Persons (CHP), says there is little argument about the importance of preventing youth homelessness. However, many have paused when confronting the challenge of accurately identifying those young people who are most likely to be at risk of becoming homeless. 

Hope Street recently co-sponsored and contributed a number of articles and images to CHP's national magazine, Parity, in its April 2015 Too Much Too Young: Responding to Young People at Risk of Homelessness issue:

Opinion

Donna Bennett, CEO, Hope Street Youth and Family Services

I am concerned that current models of housing are creating barriers perpetuating young people’s homelessness. ...Young people who are homeless, in crisis and in the homelessness crisis accommodation system face waiting periods for up to and in excess of 15 years in some areas.

Hope Street proudly participated in the annual RDNS Where the Heart is...Community Festival held on Friday, 20th March 2015 at Edinburgh Gardens in Fitzroy’s North.   In the spirit of creating an inclusive, therapeutic and youth focused space, Hope Street’s Youth Reconciliation Worker, Louise Maree and Boost Specialist Practitioner, Ksenya Kupres (with the guidance of Hope Street's RDNS Super Nurse Cath) organised our first ever Hope Street Stall.   It was an opportunity for festival-goers to experience the tranquillity and healing effects of colouring in the mandala.  Kmart in Brunswick kindly donated colouring pencils so that festival-goers were able to colour in a mandala whilst visiting the Hope Street Stall. 

Our Operations Manager, Dale Hardy, was recently interviewed by the team at Ethical Jobs about his career journey into the not-for-profit sector and his role at Hope Street.  Below is an excerpt from the Working for a better world: Hope Street Youth and Family Services’ Dale Hardy article:

For those who may not have heard of your organisation, what does Hope Street Youth and Family Services do, and what first attracted you to them when you saw the ad on EthicalJobs.com.au?

Hope Street Youth and Family Services originated as a provider of crisis accommodation for young people over 30 years ago. We still operate one of the largest youth refuges within the state from its original location in Brunswick.

My initial attraction to the advertised position was that the role itself suited the type of position I was looking for at the time. However, it was the communication with the organisation and Hope Street’s CEO, Donna Bennett, which made me excited about the role and about working for the organisation. All communication relating to the application and subsequent interview was extremely professional and considered, and Donna’s enthusiasm for the organisation and advertised role was genuine and inspirational.

This year we commenced Hope Street’s Certificate of Appreciation in acknowledgement and appreciation of individuals who have supported the organisation over a number of years.

There were seven inaugural recipients who each received recognition certificates along with gift vouchers to assist them to relax and unwind at the Peninsula Hot Springs.

Thank you to the following people for their hard work and support to the organisation and our young people:

The highlight of our AGM will be a garden tour at our site in Melton (an initiative in partnership with Bunnings) and a performance by Hope Street clients in partnership with the Gold Stars.

We hope that you can join us in celebrating the achievements of young people, our teams and the community.

The CEO of Hope Street, Donna Bennett, thanks all participants for helping to make our Hope Street 2014 – Youth Homelessness Specialist Response Forum held on the 9th of May a great success.  

The themes of the Forum were Rapid Housing for Young people and Early intervention and Short Term Responses to divert young people from the Homelessness Service System.

Feedback received about the Forum was overwhelmingly positive and we include some of the direct quotes here along with a number of documents you can download for further reading.

Sector briefing

The Australian Federal Government's 2014-15 Budget released by the Treasurer on Tuesday 13 May 2014 did not grant some of the wishes expressed in Homelessness Australia’s submission on Budget priorities, eg by establishing a long-term Affordable Housing Growth Fund or abolishing housing-related tax concessions that benefit mainly higher income earners. 

Hope Street is an established specialist youth homelessness provider in the North and West Divisions of Melbourne. Hope Street is a leading organisation with over 30 years of experience in the delivery of youth centred programs and practices that achieve effective housing outcomes with young people. As experts in this field, Hope Street has recognised the importance of practitioners across sectors who work with young people who are homeless, coming together to examine effective strategies to divert young people away from the homelessness sector.

Themes of the Forum

• Rapid Housing for Young people
• Early intervention and Short Term Responses to divert young people from the Homelessness Service System

Photo Album

2012/2013 has been a tremendously successful year with many achievements and wonderful success stories with young people and young families across all of our programs. Youth Homelessness remains a major social problem requiring individual, community and government action.

Would you like to know more about the types of programs and services available to support young people and young families who are homeless* or at risk of homelessness and residing in the North/Western Region of Metropolitan Melbourne?  If so please join us at Hope Street's AGM.

On Friday 01 November 2013, Kevin Andrews MP delivered his first major speech on housing, at the National Housing Conference in Adelaide, since his appointment as the Minister for Social Services. 

Presenters:

• Hope Street Youth & Family Services - BOOST Program
• North East Housing Service – IAP
• Vincentcare – Private Rental Brokerage Program

We have added the following downloadable items to our website:

• A new Guides and Information Sheets section to the Miscellaneous publications page.  These documents are particularly useful for those working in the field with young people from diverse cultural backgrounds
• A variety of reports to our Papers publications page such as the following:

Photo Album

The Federal Member for Wills and Secretary of Trade, Kelvin Thomson launched the Hope Street BOOST Program Evaluation Final Report, July 2013, Dr K. Jones and Dr L. Costello AHURI to an attentive group of community service organisations, local government officials and staff, the North Division Hume Moreland Area Director and supporters, on Monday the 5th of August in Coburg North.  

Please join us in the launch of the Hope Street evaluation of the BOOST Program.

The Program works with young people entering the homelessness service system who have complex needs, dual needs, and/or challenging behaviour(s).  Intervention is focused on addressing young people’s immediate needs as well as linking young people to vital support services. 

As Independent Project Leader, Professor Peter Shergold AC was asked by the Minister for Community Services, the Hon. Mary Wooldridge MP to oversight a consultation on how best to improve the effectiveness and ensure the sustainability of the state’s community services system.

Professor Shergold launched a consultation process in February 2013 and continues to hold structured conversations with a range of focus groups. 

Photo Album

Strategic and Business Planning is the “big picture” of the organisation and its future direction.  Strategic Planning allows stakeholders of Hope Street Youth and Family Services to examine the progress of the organisation, its vision mission, purpose, philosophy and aims and objectives as well as the strategic environment in which we operate. 

We have just added our Whistleblower Protection Policy to the Miscellaneous publications page - check it out.

It is with great pleasure that we announce the date and details of the Hope Street Youth and Family Services Incorporated 2011-2012 Annual General Meeting (AGM). 

To celebrate the third year of operation of our Hope Street Melton site, and in support of the local community, this year's Annual General Meeting (AGM) will be held at a venue in Melton, Victoria.