• Statement on ABC article
    Hope Street has joined a coalition of nearly 100 organisations demanding the federal government do more for youth homelessness. With fresh figures revealing the extent of youth homelessness, the campaign, ‘Home Time,’ has called on the Commonwe...

    Read more

    Federal Government Extends Homelessness Funding
    We won! Led by Homelessness Australia’s campaign, the Federal Government will extend the 73 million funding to respond to the homelessness crisis. In solidarity with peak service providers and the Australian Services Union, an Open Letter to the ...

    Read more

    Hope Street and SleepSafe
    Hope Street is providing comfort for young people and their children.   Providing dignity and comfort for young people and their children who are striving to secure a safe place to call home with high quality and beautifully designed linen. Hope ...

    Read more

    Update on the Whittlesea Build Site
    The City of Whittlesea is forecast to grow by 10,9981 by 2041.   Update on the Whittlesea Build Site   Exciting news from the build site!  Over 100 young people aged 16-25 years will receive short term accommodation and support in the City of...

    Read more

    2023 Annual Report Brief
    Annual Report Brief:   The Hope Street Youth and Family Services Annual Report for 2023 is available and should be read by those passionate about advocating and raising awareness for the most vulnerable to homelessness in Australia, children, and ...

    Read more

    Voice to Parliament Statement
      Hope Street Youth and Family Services proudly supports the First Nations Voice to Parliament and accepts the invitation offered through the Uluru Statement from the Heart, acknowledging that it was developed through consultation with First Nation...

    Read more

    JOB ALERT: New career opportunities at Hope Street
    Hope Street has a vision to live in a society where all young people and young families have a safe place to call home. If you would like to play a part in ending youth homelessness, join our teams of passionate people making a difference in the live...

    Read more

    Annual Celebration Event: From surviving to thriving - Thank you!
    Thank you to all who attended the Annual Celebration Event, including our AGM, today. We hope that you found it informative and enjoyable. Our Annual Report is now available for you to download and share with your networks: 2022 Annual Report 2022...

    Read more

  • Joint letter on youth homelessness
    A coalition of more than 60 organisations, including Melton’s Hope Street Youth and Family Services, Council to Homeless Persons and Youth Affairs Council Victoria has thrown its support behind ending youth homelessness in Victoria. Australian Inst...

    Read more

    Minister Pearson and Mr Steve McGhie MP visit Melton refuge
    The Honourable Danny Pearson MP, Minister for Housing (as well as Assistant Treasurer, Minister for Regulatory Reform, and Minister for Government Services), and Steve McGhie MP Melton, Victorian Labor Member for the Melton District, visited the Firs...

    Read more

    Having a yarn at Kirrip
    On Monday 10 October 2022, the Hope Street team caught up with Executive Officer Peter Webster and the fabulous team at Kirrip Aboriginal Corporation for a yarn and to share the Kinya Lerrk Acknowledgment plaques that are being installed at all of Ho...

    Read more

    Help young people find a place to call home
    Today is World Homeless Day. The purpose is to draw attention to the needs of people who have the experience of being without a home and provide opportunities for the community to get involved. Hope Street Youth and Family Services provides individua...

    Read more

    Legal partner visits our Melton refuge
    On Thursday 06 October 2022, Hope Street’s CEO, Donna Bennett, was thrilled to host a visit from HWL Ebsworth Lawyers with Partner, Leighton Moon, and legal professionals, Jane Ku and Thomas Appleby, with a tour of our leading designed youth refuge...

    Read more

    Catchup with Izzy Huntington
    CEO, Donna Bennett, recently held a virtual catch up with Hope Street friend and one of our Ambassadors, Isabel (Izzy) Huntington (AFLW, Greater Western Sydney, Giants).  Izzy was delighted to get an update on the outcomes young people engaged with ...

    Read more

    Pamper Hampers: Self-care, wellbeing and skills development
    Due to a donation from a generous community corporate partner, young people engaged with Hope Street and calling our programs home are focusing on their wellbeing, learning self-care skills via engagement in tailored fun community activities. Over t...

    Read more

    Growth with Hope Street
    A priority at Hope Street Youth and Family Services is that young people using our services are given opportunities for both skills and personal development.  Tending a vegetable garden bed with others is an example of this, being a fun activity tha...

    Read more


Peter Khalil MP, third from left.

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.

L to R: Olivia Myeza with Meyor of Melton, Cr Bob Turner.

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.

Young and homeless - mum and baby

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.

Sign of Hope at Woodgrove Shopping Centre

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.

Budgeting for a better future

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 CEO Announcement

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

National Reconciliation Week 2017

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.

Sons of the West

‘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.

Corporate Breakfast

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.

Skills for Life 101

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:

YAC Awards Night 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.

Budget and homelessness - Image courtesy of pixabay.com

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. 

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.

Hope to Home in Whittlesea

FEATURED PILOT PROGRAM: Hope to Home in Whittlesea

Many young people face obstacles when trying to secure stable accommodation due to no rental history, lack of affordable housing, and no employment to sustain rental leases.  The Hope to Home in Whittlesea pilot program will address these issues by:

  • Facilitating the transition of up to 30 young people (and their children) from the Hope Street in Whittlesea program or Whittlesea Housing into 1 and 2 bedroom units
  • Providing case management once they secure private rental of these units
  • Helping these young people maintain their tenancy, employment, education and training, and community connections
  • Engaging the support of community stakeholders including local businesses to address barriers contributing to youth homelessness

Please contact us if you would like to become a partner and support at risk young people and young families.

Go to top
JSN Boot template designed by JoomlaShine.com