Shoalhaven Youth Accommodation has been thrown a lifeline to continue to provide homelessness services across the Shoalhaven.
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The NSW government announced it would provide $241,830 for SYA, which had missed out on funding for its nine youth beds under the Going Home Staying Home tender reform.
It will establish a Homelessness Hub, focusing on homeless people and those at risk of homelessness across the South Coast.
While welcoming the announcement, SYA manager Kerri Snowden said it wouldn’t replace the nine youth beds lost to the area under the reform.
“I’m extremely thankful, don’t get me wrong, but this funding will not replace the services we lost under the reform,” she said.
“This funding does not replace the beds, they are still gone – they haven’t been replaced at all.
“Young people have been the big losers in this whole shakeup.
“Youth homelessness has virtually been forgotten – they have sacrificed the youth in the Shoalhaven.
“I understand the need for families very well – we have dealt with them as well. But it should not come at a cost to young people.
“CareSouth, which gained the youth tender, will not provide the long-term transitional beds that have been lost.”
Ms Snowden said the funding announcement was “bittersweet”.
“I’ve heard from [Kiama MP Gareth Ward] but have heard nothing from [South Coast MP Shelley Hancock],” she said.
“Where did the funding come from? How much has been handed out all over the state?”
Ms Snowden said the Homelessness Hub would provide information and be a referral service for young people.
“We will be getting other services in on an outreach basis,” she said.
“They will come in on certain days and cater for clients that aren’t being case managed by other services.”
The new funding starts November 1 and finishes January 2016.
“It supplies us with some stability for our staff, but we have lost some who are moving to other services. But what happens in January 2016?” she said.
Mrs Hancock and Mr Ward said the funding had been made available through the government’s Service Support Fund.
As well as SYA, Women’s Resource Group Ltd, Rosa Coordinated Care Network received $623,500, Lighthouse Community Care Ltd, Lighthouse Youth initiative $111,979 and Wollongong Emergency Family Housing Inc, Housing Gap Project $346,614.
They said the funding was in addition to $718,500 secured by St Vincent de Paul for services to support homeless men, or those at risk of being homeless, $442,500 in to provide assistance for local families including women, men and young people by Southern Youth and Family Services, $410,000 secured by the Illawarra Aboriginal Corporation and $425,000 secured for CareSouth for youth specific homelessness services.
Ms Snowden said she would like to see a bipartisan approach towards young homeless people.
“Don’t make it political or who can score the most, make it about the kids who cannot live at home anymore,” she said.