PROVIDING crisis accommodation to young people unable to live at home in Rosebud and Frankston has been identified as a priority by Mornington Peninsula Shire Council.
A campaign launched last week calls on the state government to provide two new crisis accommodation homes on the southern peninsula.
The shire recently brought together industry experts in its campaign to advocate for safer access to emergency housing “where it’s needed most”.
The resulting Youth2 campaign, in which the shire works with young people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness, has come about through a partnership with community organisations and service providers across the peninsula and Frankston.
The Youth2 team was identified and connected through a youth advisory group which includes representatives from Headspace/YSAS, Mission Australia, Salvo Care Eastern, Brotherhood of St Laurence, Fusion, White Lion, as well as the shire and Frankston Council.
Australian Bureau of Statistics figures for 2011-16 show a 17.4 per cent increase in people experiencing homelessness in Frankston and a 9.6 per cent increase on the peninsula.
Young people are over-represented in the figures, with 26 per cent of those experiencing homelessness aged 25 or younger. This means 220 young people are homeless at any given time in Frankston and on the peninsula.
At the Youth2 campaign launch on Monday 23 July members committed to identifying and advocating for service development projects and infrastructure to help improve housing security and reduce homelessness.
The group says young people should have access to safe, local and affordable housing and wants the state government to provide two new crisis accommodation homes on the southern peninsula.
“We’re uniting these groups and getting serious about ensuring our youth feel valued, supported and safe on the peninsula and in neighbouring areas,” the mayor Cr Bryan Payne said.
“Frankston and Rosebud are well-connected hubs with existing youth support services. The new crisis accommodation centres would mean young people would not have to leave their local area in times of need.”
Details: visit youth2.org.au
To find accommodation for a homeless person or someone with a housing problem, visit mornpen.vic.gov.au/housing
First published in the Southern Peninsula News – 21 August 2018
