Pictured: Emerge Youth
$64,000 helps to disrupt the cycle of youth homelessness
Last month was ‘Youth Homelessness Matters Day’ and StreetSmart stood with the homelessness and community sector in calling for investment in Youth Homelessness responses. We are hearing from our community partners right across Australia, in regional and metro areas, that safety nets are failing young people facing homelessness, creating traumatic cycles of violence, poverty and insecurity.
Young people facing homelessness have ambition, resilience and a desire to create a future of their choosing, but are struggling to catch a break in a system stacked against them. So during March and April, we raised funds and awareness to break the cycle of youth homelessness, calling on our generous community to chip in collectively. We have focused on creating opportunities to build financial security and independence as key protective factors. Often education, training and employment opportunities are difficult for young people facing homelessness to find and engage in, yet are critical pathways out of homelessness or risk.
“Young people face complex barriers including poor mental health, disengagement from school, lack of transport, unstable housing and generational unemployment. Many feel disconnected from community and struggle to see a positive future. They need flexible, safe spaces where they feel seen, supported and capable.“– ShoreTrack in NSW (on Gumbaynggirr Country)
64,000
241
14
Supporting 241 young people towards educational outcomes and employment pathways
Through this grants round, we have been able to fund a range of grassroots projects and smaller community organisations. The grants detailed below are helping young people facing homelessness get paid training or employment, have 1:1 and group mentorship, work towards course-completion and accreditation, build confidence in themselves and others, and upskill in job-readiness skills.
| Organisation | Region | Grant |
| Ballarat Neighbourhood Centre | VIC – Ballarat | $5,000.00 |
| Dismantle | WA – Perth | $4,000.00 |
| Emerge Youth | QLD – Toowoomba | $4,000.00 |
| For Change Co | VIC – Melbourne | $5,000.00 |
| Gippsland Youth Spaces | VIC – Gippsland | $5,000.00 |
| Glebe Youth Services | NSW – Sydney | $4,000.00 |
| Grassroots Action Palmerston Aboriginal Corporation | NT – Palmerston | $4,000.00 |
| JCP Youth | TAS – Launceston | $4,000.00 |
| Les Twentyman Foundation | VIC – Melbourne | $5,000.00 |
| Scarf | VIC – Melbourne | $5,000.00 |
| ShoreTrack | NSW – North Coast | $4,000.00 |
| Social Engine | VIC – Melbourne | $5,000.00 |
| The Beautiful Bunch | VIC – Melbourne | $5,000.00 |
| The Youth Junction | VIC – Western | $5,000.00 |
| Total | $64,000.00 |
“Strength through Culture is a comprehensive youth development program designed to support pathways to education and employment for young men in Glebe through culturally grounded training, mentorship, and social inclusion. The program provides vulnerable young people, particularly those from Aboriginal backgrounds living in social housing, with access to meaningful training opportunities, mentorship from respected Indigenous leaders, and pathways to social inclusion through cultural connection“– Glebe Youth Services in NSW (on Gadigal Country)
Pictured: Dismantle
“The grant will be spent on resume and skills uplift through licenses (such as chainsaw, forklift or c-class drivers) and covering down-payments for TAFE courses and traineeships to enable beneficiaries to set-up payment plans. It will also help us provide additional case-management, including 1-on-1 sessions and referrals to support services such as mental health, addiction, housing and legal” – Dismantle, WA (on Noongar Country)
“Thank you! We are facing an unprecedented demand for our paid training program, and being able to offer additional training to our staff is phenomenal. Our BB Bontantics service provides young women from asylum seeker and refugee backgrounds who are marginalised from the mainstream workforce, with the opportunity to attain the skills, experience, financial security, and self-confidence that they need to gain employment and thrive in Australia.” – The Beautiful Bunch, in VIC, Naarm
“The grant will support our work with at-risk youth from various backgrounds, including youth justice, disengaged youth, and those with mental health challenges and other barriers to employment. Through our programs, young people gain valuable work experience, soft skills, and the confidence to enter mainstream employment.” – Social Engine in VIC (on Wurundjeri Country)
Pictured: Social Engine (source)
“StreetSmart funding is helping us support young people facing homelessness as they transition back into work, training or school. This can look like picking them up and taking them to school/work, providing MYKIs, purchasing school supplies or work equipment, and continuing to visit the young people to ensure any new or re-emerging barriers are dealt with as quickly as possible so the young people are set up for continued success.“ – Les Twentyman Foundation in VIC (on Wurundjeri Country)
Our donors and supporters have collectively impacted over 241 young people facing homelessness and strengthened 14 smaller grassroots programs on the frontline of the homelessness crisis. We are always interested in connecting with philanthropists, trusts and foundations and companies who are looking to partner for positive impact and respond to homelessness in Australia, please reach out at partners@streetsmartaustralia.org if this sounds like you.
