Who will benefit?

The First Response Youth Service aims to prevent and divert young people and their children from the situation of homelessness and to provide specialised client focused support to young people and their children who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness. It will do this by working towards the following outcomes for young people and their children:

• Young people are diverted from the homelessness service system;
• Young people receive stable, safe accomodation and begin to build a pathway out of homelessness;
• Young people recieve stable, safe accomodation to begin addressing health, wellbeing, and trauma;
• Young people have a stable base from which to look for and retain employment and education opportunities;
• Young people are able to access full income entitlements and thereby have increased financial security; and
• Young people have improved connectedness to several support systems (schools, recreational, friends, family).

Why Whittlesea?

The City of Whittlesea reports high rates of youth homelessness, disadvantage and disengagement:

• On Census night 2016 there were 630 people experiencing homelessness
• Homelessness increased by 7% between 2011 and 2016
• As at March 2019 there were 3272 people on the waiting list for social housing
• 63% of households are in rent-related financial stress
• 25% of young people aged 15-24 years experience mental health problems
• One of the highest rates of family violence in Melbourne
• The second highest youth unemployment rate in Melbourne

Our credentials

Hope Street has been providing specialist homelessness housing and support programs in the City of Whittlesea since 2008, and the First Response Youth Service will complete the local place-based offering. There is currently no youth refuge in the area.

Hope Street completed an identical project — the Hope Street First Response Youth Service in Melton — in 2018/2019, with the construction of a purpose-designed First Response youth refuge (operating since August 2020).

Contributor

In partnership with the City of Whittlesea, a site close to the train line and shopping centre (as well as other community amenities) is being leased to Hope Street to build and operate.

In partnership with the Victorian Government through the State Government’s Big Build Youth Housing Grant, which was announced in December 2021, Hope Street applied for funding to provide a First Response Youth Refuge for the area. Through this initial grant Hope Street has been able to commit to building this new centre on Wurundjeri Country land shared by the City of Whittlesea local council.   

Thanks again to Brand Architects, the design of the First Response Youth Refuge was made possible. Their dedicated architects have overseen the build project and developed a nation leading therapeutically designed youth refuge to support young people and young families.

Hope Street is extremely grateful to HWL Ebsworth Lawyers for their pro-bono legal expertise, in support of this vital community project entered the next phase. 

Property Industry Foundation have a strong commitment towards advocating and providing funding solutions to projects that address youth homelessness. Through their support, this project has received much needed funding to build and fit out the 8 young people bedrooms that include a study space and ensuite each.  

Mirvac became key partners and quickly committed to Hope Street’s meaningful youth refuge project in 2022. They are supporting this project as industry leaders to advance youth housing solutions to address youth homelessness in Victoria. Their commitment to providing therapeutic outdoor spaces through landscaping ensures that this site will be ready to open in late 2024.

Timeline