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 young people.
It is an undeniable cause for concern that young people and their children are bearing the brunt of the housing crisis. 37.4% of people in Australia experiencing homelessness are aged 0-24 years old (ABS 2021). David McKenzie's forward address as a leading researcher in homelessness outlines the need for reform to combat this crisis.
Facts and statistics on homelessness indicate that young people make up 25% of the homeless population in Victoria. Youth homelessness rose 29% in a decade. Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander young people (aged 15-24) are 10x more likely to be homeless. As a leading specialist in youth homelessness services, Hope Street has a strategic plan to address child and youth homelessness in Victoria with nation leading facilities and wrap around services for young people and families, which the report outlines.
During financial year 2023 Hope Street assisted 629 young people (16-24 years) and their children via 8 programs. Hope Street programs are offered in a continuum of service responses. This continuum is immediate (assertive outreach), emergency (youth and young family refuge), stable (transitional housing for 18-24mths) and sustainable (into private rental).
Whilst we are in a national housing crisis, the annual report showcases the impact of Hope Street in combatting this issue. Children and young people that experience homelessness have life-long consequences and the need for vital wrap-around support is threaded into the Hope Street response as detailed in the report.
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 Nations people across Australia. First Nations people carry the knowledge and wisdom of 65,000 years living in harmony with the environment since creation. We believe their ancestors are due the respect they should have been accorded long ago and that now is the right time for Australia as a nation to show its respect. Sovereignty was never ceded.
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 lives of young people and young families:
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:
Sign up to have our free quarterly Partners eNewsletter delivered to your inbox and learn more about how Hope Street and its partners are supporting young people and young families who don't have a safe place to call home.
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:
Please contact us if you would like to become a partner and support at risk young people and young families.