A $91.7M investment by the Federal Government is set to help Central Coast youth at risk of homelessness.
The money will be put into the Reconnect program over the next three years.
The community-based early intervention and prevention program is targeted at young people who are experiencing or are at-risk of experiencing homelessness and their families.
Through Reconnect, young people aged 12-18 (or 12-21 for newly arrived youth) can access counselling, group work, mediation and specialised mental health services, to improve relationships with their family, stay at school and participate in their local community.
One group on the Central Coast which uses the program is Central Coast Uniting.
Uniting Youth and Homelessness Manager Jade Brown said the announcement gave the organisation surety that it could continue its valuable work for the next three years.
“We work with whole families to offer support within their own environment and keep young people at home,” she said.
“We work with the families in their own homes for up to three months, although this time is sometimes extended depending on the needs of the family.
“We go into homes where there is a young person involved in family conflict or struggling with education.
“Our highly skilled case workers offer conflict resolution and can negotiate with various services on behalf of the young person.
“Our main object is to break the cycle and prevent these young people ending up homeless – because youth homelessness is so often a by-product of relationship difficulties at home.
“Sometimes the young people are going down a pathway which is not necessarily good for them.
“We work with around 100 families each year.”
Brown said while case management was the biggest component of the organisation’s work it also offered parenting groups and school groups.
“This funding commitment gives us confidence and security around our programs and is a recognition that what we do is valuable to the community,” she said.
Minister for Housing and Minister for Homelessness, Julie Collins, said the funding would deliver vital services across the country.
“We know the breakdown of family relationships is a leading cause of youth homelessness,” she said.
“Through the Reconnect program, we are able to address the risk factors to help prevent homelessness.
“Our hope is that through this funding thousands of young people and their families will continue to benefit from improved family ties, engagement in education and employment, and enhanced community connections.
Member for Robertson Gordon Reid said the investment would boost the Government’s ambitious housing reform agenda to improve the outcomes for Australians at risk of, or experiencing, homelessness.
Consultation will soon begin on the National Housing and Homelessness Plan to identify ways to address the challenges experienced by young people at risk of homelessness.
The Government will develop the plan in collaboration with key stakeholders and will undertake broad consultation, including with organisations and members of the public.
More information regarding the Reconnect program is available on the Department of Social Services website.
Terry Collins