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.

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.

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.

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 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 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:

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: