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New hope for homeless unemployed young people19 January 2005 An exciting new project to help young homeless unemployed people has attracted the support of the state government. The YP4 project is a collaboration between Hanover Welfare Services, the Brotherhood of St Laurence, Melbourne Citymission and Loddon Mallee Housing Services. The Acting Premier, John Thwaites, will announce a grant of half a million dollars to YP4, from the Community Support Fund. The announcement will be made at 2.0pm on Wednesday 19 January, 2005, at Hanover Southbank Crisis Centre, 52 Haig Street, South Melbourne. YP4, which will run as a three year trial, will assist extremely disadvantaged young people address their employment, housing and health needs. Every year approximately 80,000 young Australians experience homelessness and unemployment. They share the dreams and aspirations of other Australians – a job, a home and a family. YP4 will provide the opportunities for these young Australians to achieve their dreams. Tony Nicholson, Executive Director of the Brotherhood of St Laurence and Chairperson of the committee overseeing YP4, said “Until now the way in which public assistance has been delivered to young homeless jobseekers has too often lacked integration to the point it being ineffective. “Without stable housing they find it hard to meet Centrelink mutual obligation requirements to undertake training, to find a job and to hold it. “Yet under current rental housing market conditions, the lack of a job makes it almost impossible to secure adequate housing - particularly in areas where there are employment opportunities. “YP4 is a trail-blazing project that brings together various forms of housing, employment and welfare assistance to ensure that these young people can heed their modest aspirations for a job, a home and a family. “Significantly, YP4 sets employment as the over-arching goal. This is in recognition of the reality that these people are in the first third of their working lives and see themselves as workers. Other outcomes such as health, housing and personal development will be shaped by the ultimate outcome of employment. “The collaboration of government and community organisations in the interest of these young people is unprecedented.” Heather Lyon, Chief Executive Officer, Hanover Welfare Services, is confident that YP4 will provide the agencies involved in the trial with a realistic opportunity to offer young people who are homeless and unemployed with ‘stepping-stones’ which will enable them to gain a job and establish a home. “YP4 is an exciting opportunity which will allow us to offer help in an entirely new way to extremely disadvantaged young jobseekers”, she said. For more information please contact: Tony Nicholson, Executive Director, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Chairperson YP4 steering committee – 0417 307 716 Louise Coventry, Manager YP4 – 0419 338 157  back to top
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