Melbourne City Mission is supporting Whittlesea council’s push to build a supported accommodation centre in South Morang that connects vulnerable young people to study and employment opportunities.
The council wants to set up a ‘youth foyer’, based on a UK model that provides affordable accommodation for people aged 16-25 who are homeless or at risk of becoming homeless.
It also links them to training, employment, health, well-being and social participation support.
City Mission chief executive Reverend Ric Holland said growing numbers of young people in Whittlesea had been travelling to the charity’s Melbourne base to access its homelessness support services.
“Of course we’ll support them and do what we can, but it’s not the most appropriate place for them to be. It should be closer to home,” he said.
“There needs to be somewhere on hand in the area for an instant response.”
The mission is one of 45 multi-disciplinary agencies that make up the Whittlesea Community Futures Partnership (WCFP), which is seeking state and federal government support to help alleviate local youth homelessness, among other aims.
Whittlesea mayor Mary Lalios said the council had been requesting money from state and federal governments for a number of years to set up a local youth foyer, “but none has been forthcoming”.
The planned South Morang foyer would include 15 semi-detached units with on-site professional staff to support residents.
Young people can stay in the units for up to two years and receive outreach support for a further year if needed. According to council estimates, the project would require establishment funds of $170,000 and annual funding of $888,000 for three years.
But the cost benefit far outweighs the expense as council research shows the estimated cost of youth homelessness on the health and criminal justice system is $332,300 per person over a lifetime.
Rev Holland said Whittlesea needed to fix youth homelessness at its source.
“If you can get a 19-year-old who’s on the way to homelessness and create a new pathway for them, you stop it right there,” he said. “That should happen in their own city.”
It’s estimated 38,400 young people will be living in the City of Whittlesea in 10 years’ time.
Melbourne City Mission’s goal is to “help people and communities to develop their own pathways away from disadvantage”.
■ Its Frontyard Youth Services provides integrated help to address the physical, social and emotional needs of young people aged 16-25 who spend time in Melbourne’s CBD.
■ In 2013, 28 young people using the service named the City of Whittlesea as their home of origin. This has risen to 32 since September last year.
The City of Whittlesea is one of Victoria’s fastest growing municipalities and its rapid transformation stretches services and infrastructure to the limits. A tipping point has been reached, with families on the edge. The Whittlesea Community Futures Partnership pledges to:
■ Advocate for fairer distribution of resources for the growing communities of the City of Whittlesea to ensure we create liveable communities in Melbourne’s fringe.
■ Work together in reducing the service gaps and improving the life outcomes of City of Whittlesea communities to ensure they are not disadvantaged by where they live.
■ Work in partnership with all levels of the government to support and ensure they fulfil their obligations in building sustainable and liveable communities in the City of Whittlesea.
Northern Weekly is supporting the initiative.
WHAT YOU CAN DO
You can sign the Fairer Funding petition at www.fairerfunding.com.au, share stories through video and photos on the Fairer Funding Facebook page about how a lack of services affects you, and check the campaign’s progress on Twitter by following @fairerfunding.
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