First Response Youth Service in Melton

The Hope Street First Response Youth Service is an innovative new model designed to respond to youth homelessness via a place-based approach in the north-western growth corridor of Melbourne. The service consists of two components – a youth refuge providing supported crisis accommodation, and a mobile outreach service available 365 days per year including after hours:

Youth Refuge
Youth Mobile Outreach Service

Youth Refuge

The service will soon be provided within a purpose-built youth refuge consisting of three separate buildings:

8-bed communal living building
2-bedroom unit for young people and their children/families
administration building

The design is based on leading specialist youth-focused practice.

What does the refuge offer?

Service delivery is based on the enhanced youth refuge model aiming to improve outcomes for young people as a part of a homelessness prevention approach that includes access to:

short/longer term accommodation
emergency relief such as food, material aid or medication
immediate and short term services for general and specialist health; employment, education or training; legal and financial matters; recreational/social connectivity

In partnership with the state government, philanthropic community, corporate sector, Melton City Council and local community members, Hope Street is about to launch this new youth refuge. This purpose-designed centre will provide specialist wrap around support services for young people and young families experiencing homelessness. The First Response Youth Mobile Outreach Service will work with the emergency accommodation centre, providing at risk young people with stable and safe accommodation and youth-specific supports.

How can young people access the refuge?

Young people must be:

16 - 25 years of age
individuals or part of a couple / family (eg siblings, single parent and child, couple and child)
(at risk of) experiencing homelessness and in crisis
linked to the Melton local government area as well as neighbouring LGAs

Construction of the new facility is currently under way. Updates on the Hope Street First Response Youth Service in Melton project, as each milestone is achieved, will be provided in our Featured Stories section.

In the meantime, the First Response Youth Refuge Interim Model went live from Tuesday 12 March 2019. Two private rental properties have been secured to provide crisis accommodation and 24/7 onsite support until the youth refuge building is completed. Please contact us for further information.

OUTCOMES SUMMARY

Between 12 March – 30 June 2019, or 111 days of operation, the Youth Refuge Interim Model:

Assisted 48 young people aged 16-25 years old, including four dependent children; and
Provided 147 nights of accommodation, with the average length of accommodation being 27 nights per client.

Of the 48 young people assisted:

19 were male and 29 were female;
The most common country of birth was Australia (29 young people), followed by Sudan (five young people), Kenya (two young people) and Thailand (two young people);
Two identified as being of Aboriginal background;
The most common age groups were 21-25 years old (46%), followed by 18-20 years old (38% and 15-17 years old (15%);
46% reported that they had a diagnosed mental health condition;
Five family groups were supported – one couple, and four young people with dependent children;
The main reasons for seeking support were a housing crisis (71%), domestic and family violence (10%) and relationship or family breakdown (4%);
The most common sources of income when presenting to the service were:
- Youth Allowance (38%);
- New Start allowance (15%); and
- Parenting payment (19%).

Learn more about the young people supported, and our impact, from the report below.

First Response Youth Refuge, Melton Report

MEDIA KIT: Hope Street First Response Youth Service in Melton

Youth Mobile Outreach Service

The First Response Youth Mobile Outreach Service establishes the first innovative youth homelessness and support mobile outreach crisis response in the City of Melton growth corridor, with an annual target of 100 young people/families.

The local government area of Melton has no specialist homelessness crisis response service - it is at least 27km to the nearest homelessness crisis response service and a limited VLine train service severely impacts young people's access to services. This service will significantly address young people's experience and disadvantage from the lack of homelessness support services due to the geographical isolation from the lack of social infrastructure.

The First Response Youth Mobile Outreach Service enhances the emergency response model and service delivery to young people utilising the Youth Refuge funded by the State Government.

What does the mobile outreach service offer?

Available 7 days a week from 9:30am to 11:30pm, our First Response Mobile Outreach Team will find, identify and engage with young people and young families who are (at risk of) experiencing homelessness in the Melton local government area and surrounding suburbs. Team members will go to where they are located, for example:

hospital
school
police station
Centrelink
other service/agency

A safe place to meet with young people can also be arranged if they are staying/sleeping on a friend's couch, in a car, in the park or the streets.

Young people will get help to be safe, navigate and access the Homelessness Service System and other services (eg health), find emergency accommodation, get food and/or material aid, and more. Support will be provided that is holistic, integrated, quality, effective and timely.

How can young people access the mobile outreach service?

Young people must be:

16 - 25 years of age
individuals or part of a couple / family (eg siblings, single parent and child, couple and child)
(at risk of) experiencing homelessness
in the Melton local government area or surrounding suburbs - includes Aintree, Brookfield, Burnside - Burnside Heights, Caroline Springs, Cobblebank - Strathtulloh, Diggers Rest, Eynesbury Township, Fraser Rise, Harkness, Hillside, Kurunjang, Melton, Melton South, Melton West, Rockbank, Rural Balance, Taylors Hill and Toolern Vale

Please contact our First Response Mobile Outreach Team on (03) 9132 4300 or

OUTCOMES SUMMARY

In the 2018-2019 financial year, the service supported 178 young people, including 24 dependent children, who were experiencing or at risk of homelessness. This significantly exceeded the anticipated annual target of 100 young people. Clients supported included individual young people aged 16-25 years old, single young parents and young families. During the year, 159 young people exited the program.

Of the 178 young people supported:

71 were male and 107 were female;
The most common age brackets were:
- 18-20 years old (39%);
- 21-25 years old (33%);
- 15-17 years old (8%);
10% identified as being of Aboriginal heritage;
- The most common countries of birth included Australia (86%), Sudan (5%), Ethiopia (2%) and South Sudan (2%). Other countries each represented by one young person included Canada, Liberia, New Zealand, Serbia, Somalia, Sri Lanka, Thailand and Zimbabwe;
- 61% of clients were unemployed; and
- 37% reported mental health issues.
Learn more about the young people supported, and our impact, from the report below.

Download

First Response Youth Mobile Outreach Service, Melton Report

Hope Street First Response Youth Mobile Outreach Service in Melton Kit

Note:

Card holder reference in included kit instructions available for delivered kit only.
Individual kit items available in our First Response - Melton folder.