A Melton community centre providing a safe refuge for homeless youth has been revitalised thanks to a grant from Harness Racing Victoria (HRV) / Tabcorp Park. The $5000 grant was used to purchase youth-friendly furniture and equipment for the youth community centre at the Melton site of Hope Street Youth and Family Services.

Items purchased with the grant included brightly coloured beanbags, chairs and tables, an overhead projector and screen, canvas paintings for the walls, a microphone and speaker, a children’s slide, play mats and table/chair set, educational posters and child play supplies such as colouring pencils, books and puzzles. The community centre is utilised by young people and young families who are being accommodated at Hope Street in Melton due to experiencing homelessness, as well as other community groups providing services to vulnerable community members. The centre is also being used by young people from the local area as a safe space for them to conduct their homework.

Community Engagement Officer, Melissa DeSantis, said the team was deliberate about choosing brightly coloured furniture and items. "Bright colours are important in spaces where you are engaging with young people, because every colour represents something, an emotion. Often the young people have suffered some trauma before they get to us and arriving at this new place and dealing with that past trauma can be overwhelming at times, so having a nice space where they can relax, get to know the case managers and get to know each other is really important. Youth need to have that space where they can actually feel comfortable," she said.

CEO of Hope Street Youth and Family Services, Donna Bennett, said the organisation was deeply grateful to HRV Tabcorp Park for the grant. "This was previously a pretty plain, dark and run-down space that really wasn’t inviting to young people, but thanks to HRV Tabcorp Park, it’s a vibrant and beautiful community centre that is very inviting to the young people who spend time here. It makes them feel safe, welcomed, and encouraged that better days are ahead for them, no matter what they are going through to have brought them here in the first place," she said. Donna added that the revitalisation of the centre has increased community participation in the services provided at the site and has developed a sense of pride for the young people staying at Hope Street.

The purchased items will allow the Hope Street team to run movie nights for the young people staying in the refuge; to run life skills classes; and to entertain young children whilst their parents are meeting with their case managers. The community centre also contains a kitchen which is used by the Hope Street team to run cooking classes as part of preparing young people for living independently in the future. Food hygiene, frozen food and meat handling, and cooking are covered and the young people enjoy the cooked meal together at the end of the session, enabling them to build and deepen friendships with other young people.

With thanks to the grant, the local area now has a safe and inviting space for disadvantaged and vulnerable young people and community groups to meet, receive training, access support, meet others in the area, and build their sense of community and belonging.