Elsie Lange
Hume will continue steps towards establishing a youth crisis facility in the municipality, following a council study which showed a “strong need”.
At a meeting on Monday, October 10, councillors spoke to a report which said Hume lacked any form of youth crisis accommodation despite 2016 census data showing 255 young people in the municipality were homeless on census night.
Councillor Karen Sherry, a strong advocate for addressing homelessness in Hume, said it was important to focus on young people to stem the cycle.
“Officers’ research found that 28 per cent of the homeless population in Hume are comprised of young people, which is much higher than the national average… entering into homelessness is not a decision a young person makes lightly,” Cr Shelly said.
As part of the study, a survey of local service providers and secondary colleges showed emergency or crisis accommodation was among their top five pressing needs in the region.
“The growth areas, like Hume, is where most of the young people live, so we need a facility… This report asks our council to commit $50,000 for a study that will choose the best location for this accommodation,” Cr Sherry said.
“[As well as] the best methodology to make it happen because it’s actually a state government responsibility, not our responsibility.”
The report said since commencement of the first stage of the study, council had been approached by three housing providers, Kids Under Cover, Launch Housing and Evolve, exploring options for a community housing facility on council owned land.
A stage two feasibility study will now be undertaken, to validate the need for the facility, include best practice case studies, provide alternative infrastructure delivery options, and finalise the preferred option.
Councillor Sam Misho said ratepayers deserved to have vulnerable and needy members of the community protected.
He said he would soon raise a notice of motion for council to request the government grant them part of the Mickleham quarantine facility to be used as a youth crisis facility.
“Currently we don’t have any youth crisis facility and therefore young people either room house, rough sleep, couch surf or go to other municipalities,” he said.
“It’s very, very sad to anybody that sees this phenomena.”
