The Geelong Youth Support Service

The Geelong Youth Support Service is an early intervention and diversion program for highly vulnerable young people
• The purpose is to divert young people ‘at risk’ from the youth justice system and maintain them at school, home and connected to community services
• Time for Youth’s approach is both ‘youth focused and family centred’
• The new service will help young people get back on track and support families to tackle problems before they become too serious
• The focus is on young people 10-18 years who are ‘at risk’ of entering the justice system
• These are young people who don’t have a court order, but have been involved with police, and are referred to the Youth Support Service by police on the basis of their ‘high risk’ of getting into trouble
• The program is part of a 2010-11 budget allocation of $22m to employ 55 workers across the state, 35 of those workers with community agencies
• Three (3) qualified Youth and Family workers will work with 106 young people a year from City of Greater Geelong and Queenscliff
• Three Youth & Family workers have now been recruited by Time for Youth
• The Geelong Youth Support Service Team have been involved with providing information to police at several locations in the Geelong police district
• The Youth Support Staff will undertake central based SCAR (knife crime behaviour change program) in May 2011 that will assist them to counsel young people on the dangers of carrying weapons
• Young people will get the services that they need through a collaborative approach with Geelong Youth and Family service agencies who provide education, employment, training, health and recreation services
• Four Regional YSS Reference Group meetings have been held involving DHS, Victoria Police (Geelong), Time for Youth and key local stakeholders
• The Geelong Youth Support Service is the first of 10 Regional programs to commence operation
• The service has commenced with the initial two referrals being referred by Police this week beginning 4th April 2011
• The program will be officially launched by Mary Wooldridge Minister for Mental Health, Women’s Affairs, and Community Services on Tuesday 12th April at 2pm at the Old Post Office Geelong

YSS Brochure Front
YSS Brochure Inside

Baby Jam

Baby Jam is an 8 week music therapy group program for children aged 0-5 years and their parent/s, run by Bethany’s Homeless Children’s Specialist Support Service. ‘Baby Jam’ involves group music activities such as singing known and new songs, playing instruments such as drums, shakers and bells, and using songs to promote motor, social and communication skills.
For further information contact:
Rebecca Fairchild
Specialist Children’s Group Facilitator – Homeless Children’s Specialist Support Services Team
Mon/Tues/Thurs
Direct Line: 5247 2104
Email: rfairchild@bethany.org.au

Baby Jam flyer....
Baby Jam Referral Form...

A Place To Call Home

Overview
A Place To Call Home is a joint initiative by the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments to build 600 new homes for individuals and families experiencing homelessness. The Commonwealth Government is investing $150 million in this program, with State and Territory Governments also contributing funds. A Place to Call Home commenced in July 2008, and will operate until 30 June 2013. The initiative provides funding for:
the cost of building new accommodation, making spot purchases and/or the renovation of suitable public housing properties to provide long term, affordable housing for people experiencing homelessness; and
the provision of support services to help people break the cycle of homelessness.
How will it work?
People assisted under A Place to Call Home move directly into permanent housing. They receive tenancy and other support services for the first 12 months to help them address the issues that led to homelessness, and reintegrate with the broader community. Tenants are able to remain in their home at the end of the support period, as A Place to Call Home dwellings are transferred to the public housing pool in each jurisdiction.
A joint initiative
A Place to Call Home is a collaborative approach between the Commonwealth, State and Territory Governments. State and Territory Governments are providing land and other capital contributions and funding for support services.
Commonwealth funds are being distributed to the States and Territories according to 2001 Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS) Census data on the number of people who are homeless in each jurisdiction. Indigenous people will be provided with homes and support services at least in proportion to their representation in the homeless population.
More Information....

Homeless Children's Specialist Support Service (HCSSS)

The Service aims to:

• provide a flexible and immediate response to improve support outcomes for children
• reduce the stress on parents by assisting them to resolve the support issues of their children
• improve access to specialist and mainstream support resources
• further support the homelessness sector in providing support to children and families.

Please email RFairchild@bethany.org.au if you have any queries or ideas.

Baby Jam Information...
Baby Jam Information for parents...
MAP Flyer Whittington...
MAP Group Information for Parents...
Groupwork Information for Professionals...
More Information...

Families At Risk Of Homelessness (FAR)

The Service aims to:

• Support families with additional needs who have exited the homeless service system into long term housing such as public, community or private rental accommodation.
• Establish and maintain safe and successful tenancies.
• Link families and children into a range of community supports and resources.
• Reduce the impact of homelessness on families and children.
• Reduce the likelihood of eviction, hence the likelihood of families re-entering the homelessness service system.

More Information....

Cafe Meals

In Geelong and Colac, a youth specific Cafe Meals Club (CMC) project operates to provide subsidised healthy meals to homeless and vulnerable youth. The project aims to provide food in a socially inclusive way to ensure young people are welcome in their community. Eligible youth pay $3.00 directly to the cafe ($2.00 school canteen) for a meal up to the value of $12.00 ($10.00 school canteen). The program operates from Time for Youth, a youth homeless agency in Geelong and Colac. All youth and family agencies can refer young people aged between 12 and 25 to the program.
Contact mailto:cafemeals@timeforyouth.org or ring Melanie Craig on 5223 2966

Reconnect.

The Reconnect program uses community-based early intervention services to assist young people aged 12 to 18 years who are homeless, or at risk of homelessness, and their families. Reconnect assists young people stabilise their living situation and improve their level of engagement with family, work, education, training and their local community.
From 1 July 2009, the Newly Arrived Youth Support Services (NAYSS) were incorporated into Reconnect as Newly Arrived Youth Specialists. As specialist Reconnect providers, these services will continue to support young people aged 12-21 years who have arrived in Australia in the previous five years, focussing on people entering Australia on humanitarian visas and family visas, and who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
Reconnect breaks the cycle of homelessness by providing counselling, group work, mediation and practical support to the whole family. Reconnect providers also 'buy in' services to target individual needs of clients, such as specialised mental health services.
Reconnect service providers follow the seven good practice principles:

• accessibility of services
• client driven service delivery
• holistic approaches to service delivery
• working collaboratively
• culturally and contextually appropriate service delivery
• ongoing review and evaluation; and
• building sustainability.

Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS).

BBBS STILL SEEKING MENTORS…. Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) of Geelong urgently requires more community volunteers, to become men-tors (Big Brothers and Big Sisters). If you think you have what it takes to be a “Big” visit our website www.barwonyouth.org.au and register for one of our monthly information sessions or simply call Barwon Youth on 5221 4466 and speak to Glen or Leanne.

Visit the website....
Big Brothers Big Sisters (BBBS) newsletter Aug 2010.

Salvo Connect Walking Home 2010 summary).