Youth homelessness is a dire social phenomenon with devasting impact on opportunities for young people to develop and thrive. The ripple effect is entrenched disadvantage, poverty and homelessness as well as significant social, health and economic impacts on the wider community.
Established over 45years ago as one of Victoria’s first youth refuges, Hope Street has developed an evidenced-based approach to youth homelessness, creating preventative measures to stem the impact to individuals and the wider community. Honouring its philosophy, Hope Street’s solutions are achieved in genuine collaboration and partnership with communities to increase our reach to more young people, intervene effectively, and break the cycle, supporting more young people to stabilise, plan for, and achieve their goals and aspirations before homelessness takes hold.
A society in which all young people and families have a safe place to call home
Hope Street has partnered with government, corporates, businesses, philanthropic trusts, Ambassadors, and the wider community to deliver measurable outcomes for young people and their families experiencing homelessness across Melbourne.
Our smaller, agile structure and high level of transparency make collaboration straightforward and effective. Being a secular organisation is also important to many of our partners, who value the independence and neutrality that comes with it.
Hope Street partners with organisations such as RMIT University and AFL SportsReady to create cadetship and placement opportunities for emerging youth workers, including First Nations students, supporting culturally informed practice and strengthening the future workforce in youth services.
Hope Street partners with the Property Industry Foundation across numerous initiatives, and individual construction companies, such as Mirvac, both key contributors to the creation of the 2025 First Response Youth Service refuge in the City of Whittlesea.
Whatever your expertise, skill, and passion, contact us to consider how, together we can enrich the lives of young people at a critical point in their life journey.
Contact Rachel Evans, Business Development and Partnerships Manager on email Rachel.evans@hopest.org or call 0416 043 567 to brainstorm ideas and discuss potential partnerships and solutions.
Be part of the effective solution: for every $1 spent, we achieve $3.14 in social and economic value
Youth homelessness is distinct from broader homelessness, and mainstream adult homelessness services were never established to address it, with young people escaping significant challenges like drug and alcohol misuse and family violence within their own home, for which they had limited control. The evidence shows, the quicker you can support a young person at risk of homelessness, including wrap around services to support the young person’s additional needs, the greater the impact in stable housing, education, employment, and long-term interdependence.
Your investment will pay off. Hope Street commissioned Think Impact to conduct a Social Return of Investment (SROI) analysis on Hope Street First Response Youth Service. The analysis showed that for every dollar invested in First Response, $3.14 in social and economic value was created. The strongest returns were associated with housing (32% of total value), followed by education, employment and training (23%), and health (20%). Economic value (19% of total) is also achieved through reduced welfare payments, and increased income tax receipts.
A partnership with Hope Street offers you:
- Social impact that align to your organisations goals
- Improved community resilience and wellbeing
- Brand reputation
- Recognition and trust
What sets Hope Street apart is our singular focus on young people. This enables us to provide a deeper and broader range of services, backed by highly specialised knowledge and practice in youth work. The positive impact we have on young people’s lives is evident in our data, as well as in the testimonials and stories shared in our publications such as Hope Street’s Annual Report.
Contact Rachel Evans, Business Development and Partnerships Manager on email Rachel.evans@hopest.org or call 0416 043 567 to brainstorm ideas and discuss potential partnerships and solutions.
Partners
Government
Victorian State Government – DFFH
Merri-bek City Council
Melton City Council
Corporates
Sofitel
HWL Ebsworth
Woodgrove
ecoDynamics
Brand Architect
Mirvac
Bunnings Warehouse Melton
Trusts and Foundations
Lord Mayors Charitable Foundation (Youth in Philanthropy Program)
Property Industry Foundation
The Marian & E.H Flack Trust
Harcourts
Street Smart
Lionsville