|
|
|
QYHC Chat February 2024
|
|
THE BIGGEST HOUSING NEWS!
|
|
|
February saw the state government announce an historic $3.1 billion investment into Queensland’s housing system. Homes for Queenslanders includes various measures that aim to support:
|
- Housing Affordability
- Rental Market
- Home Ownership
- Social Housing
- Homelessness
- Legislation and Reform
In unpacking Homes for Queenslanders, we’re conscious there are ongoing announcements and details being finalised. Minister Scanlon will refocus the Housing Roundtable to an implementation taskforce of key stakeholders to achieve improvements in the housing system.
|
Here’s a brief summary of what we know so far with regard to young people:
|
- 20 per cent funding boost for frontline homelessness services
- Youth Subsidy - making it financially possible for community housing providers to house more young people
|
- Eight new youth foyers providing stable housing and support for young people who are studying or working. The first additional youth foyer will be delivered in Cairns (more below), followed by two more in Moreton Bay and Hervey Bay with further work to be done to identify five more sites across the state.
- Youth Support Centre (Brisbane)
- Eight new supported accommodation services for young people experiencing homelessness
- Extra workers at night for identified temporary supported accommodation sites
- New mobile services to help young people both in their homes and public places to find and keep housing.
General housing supports of benefit to young people:
|
- $160 million Renters Relief Package
- Portable bond scheme
- 53,500 new social homes by 2046
- Expanding critical housing response funding to individuals and couples
- More temporary supported accommodation in the regions
|
|
|
|
|
New Support Centre for Young People at-risk of Homelessness
|
|
|
Homes for Queenslanders included the purchase of a four-storey commercial office building in Fortitude Valley, Brisbane, to be transformed into a dedicated one-stop shop providing coordinated support for young people who are homeless or at risk of homelessness. The space will be managed by Brisbane Youth Service with the aim that young people can access mental health, alcohol and drug and domestic and family violence support. The new centre is large enough for other not-for-profit agencies to provide supports on site. It is anticipated the centre will be up and running early next year.
|
|
|
|
Cairns Youth Foyer
Cairns Specialist Youth Homelessness services alongside their Housing and Homelessness network peers, have been tirelessly advocating for additional accommodation for young people in Cairns, including a Foyer. The news that Cairns is the next Queensland Foyer in the making is a cause for huge celebration!
|
- The proposed youth foyer in Manoora will include approximately 40 self-contained units for young people aged 16 to 25 years old who are homeless or at risk of homelessness.
- Young people will sign a tenancy agreement to live in the foyer and pay 25% of their income in rent and bills.
- All tenants must commit to study, training or employment during their stay.
- Cairns has been chosen as a location for a youth foyer as there is high demand for independent and supportive housing for young people.
|
The Department of Housing, Local Government, Planning and Public Works will engage with young people, neighbours, the community and key stakeholders on the location of the Cairns Youth Foyer. Queenslanders can have their say on the proposed development by clicking here.
|
|
Support for Tenants
After three years of campaigning by those of us involved in Make Renting Fair in Queensland (MRFQ) expertly led and resourced by Tenants Queensland, we applaud the introduction of the following measures:
|
- Improving bond return and transfer processes, recognising the bond as tenants’ money
- Putting a clear end to rent bidding by not allowing bids over the asking price
- Make it easier for renters to undertake minor modifications to address their needs
- Introducing a rental code of conduct applicable to property managers and landlords
- Improving privacy protections by limiting what rental applicants can be asked to provide and creating limits on when and what personal information can be retained by agents and landlords.
|
Read more about Homes for Queenslanders here.
|
|
|
|
Youth Engagement Education Reform
Recruitment has started for a new $57 million Intensive Education Case Management Service, more court liaison officers and more youth transition officers.
|
|
The initiatives flow from the $288 million Youth Engagement Education Reform package that aims to ensure all young people remain engaged with education. The package will support education, intervention and prevention initiatives for students who are most at risk of being involved with the youth justice system. Further details here.
|
|
|
|
Multi-Million-Dollars for Child and Youth Mental Health
|
The State Government is investing $67.8 million in new and enhanced Child and Youth Acute Response Teams to improve mental health outcomes for young people. This investment means Queensland children and young people experiencing a mental health crisis, including those at risk of suicide, can access support services and care through the acute response teams across more Hospital and Health Services.
|
|
|
|
DON’T FORGET
Free Certificates and Diplomas
|
A great opportunity to grow your skills with Fee-Free TAFE. The career of your dreams is within reach thanks to Fee-Free TAFE. Follow your passion with over 70 industry-recognised courses to choose from. Make a great decision for your future with in-demand skills in high-priority areas, including health and science, business, cyber security and IT, education and community, agriculture, and service industries. With a range of skill sets, certificates and diplomas available, now’s the time to get job ready with Fee-Free TAFE. You can learn more here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Platform 1225 Conference 2024
|
Platform 1225 Conference, 2024 will be held on Wednesday 15th May at Rydges Southbank, Brisbane.
We’re excited to announce thought provoking presenters focused on solutions to the issues that young people who are at risk or experience homelessness encounter.
|
|
As requested, Platform 1225 will expand to a Specialist Youth Homelessness Services Workshop on 16th May 2024.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Register at the link below, scan the QR code or click on either of the images:
|
|
|
|
Share your projects and innovation at Platform 1225
|
|
QYHC is keen to showcase the great work of the youth sector and associated organisations. We welcome your application to share projects, innovative ways of working or good practice examples. This is your time to shine.
|
|
|
|
|
|
More Housing News
|
A new development in Ivory Street is being explored for a large-scale housing development. This project could potentially include a range of housing options including social, affordable and supportive housing, and a centre for drop-in services and other facilities.
|
The site is one of 27 large sites which were assessed as part of the audit of government land actioned after the Queensland Housing Summit.
|
Modular homes are being built in factories across Queensland to assist with regional housing need.
|
|
In Bundaberg this week, Minister Scanlon also spoke to the establishment of the critical response team in Bundaberg. “Together with our hardworking homelessness organisations, the team will go to areas where people are experiencing homelessness and offer rapid support to help them find accommodation.”
|
|
Parity Youth Edition
A Call for Contributions – April 2024 “Going it Alone: Unaccompanied Child and Youth Homelessness – Pathways into and out of Homelessness”.
|
The central focus of this edition of Parity is an examination and discussion of unaccompanied children and young people at risk of or experiencing homelessness. Unaccompanied children and young people are a significant group experiencing homelessness across Australia. In 2022–23, around 38,300 or 14% of all people seeking accommodation and assistance from SHS nationally were children and young people aged 15–24 years presenting alone.
|
|
Submission deadline: COB Friday 22 March 2024 Word length: Contributions can be up to 1,600 words. Submissions to be sent to: parity@chp.org.au
|
|
|
|
|
|
Calling Youth Workers
|
|
Calling Youth Workers to assist YANQ to develop training resources and agency level protocols to help youth workers decide when and how to refer a young person to clinical mental health services such as hospitals and Headspace.
|
Please spend a few minutes completing this survey and share with colleagues and networks.
|
The resources developed from your feedback will significantly assist youth workers to competently work with young people in distress and minimise any risk associated with this work. The information you will provide will remain confidential.
|
Thank you in advance!
If you have questions about this project, please email Siyavash: director@yanq.org.au
|
|
YANQ Youth Work –
Community of Practice 2024
This is a unique opportunity for youth workers to join a state-wide online Community of Practice (CoP). This CoP will operate as a group of peers who share a concern or passion for their work with young people, and a thirst for learning. All participants will be committed to working and learning about youth work within a context of equity, respect, anti-racist and anti-oppressive practices.
|
“Sharing knowledge, learning new skills and perspectives. Getting a deeper understanding of systemic impacts to practice. Reconnecting with like-minded peers that is supportive and developmental”. 2023 CoP participant
|
Expert guest speakers will be supported by a highly experienced support team drawing on practice-based, theoretically informed knowledge, and experienced youth workers who are currently in positions which bring them into contact with vulnerable young people.
|
|
Community of Practice will be held:
|
|
Dates: April 9th, May 14th and June 11th
|
Time: 10am until 12 noon.
|
Please register your interest here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Young People and Drugs:
Youth Housing and Out-of-Home
Residential Care Services
|
|
Dovetail will be delivering a free full day workshop, on Thursday 7 March 2024 in Brisbane. Further details and a link to register is available here.
|
|
|
|
In other exciting news Dovetail’s practice video which targets Specialist Youth Homelessness services workers and OoHC Resi workers is well worth a watch! Watch the video here.
|
|
|
Human Rights Training
The Queensland Human Rights Commission is providing training sessions including:
|
- Introduction to the Human Rights Act
- Introduction to the Anti-discrimination Act
- Human Rights Act for Community Advocates
|
Find the dates and register here.
|
|
|
|
|
INFORMATION FOR YOUNG PEOPLE
|
|
AOD Program for LGBTIQ+ Young People
|
The Alcohol and Other Drug Program at Open Doors Youth Service provides psychosocial interventions to LGBTIQ+ young people between the ages of 12 to 24 who are experiencing problematic alcohol and other drug use, or who are impacted by the alcohol or drug use of others. Refer here.
|
|
|
|
|
NATIONAL HOUSING & HOMELESSNESS UPDATES
|
|
QYHC is delighted to support the new national housing campaign advocating for urgent reform for young people’s housing.
|
The Home Time Plan to fix Australia’s housing system for young people is proposing three urgent actions for federal, state and territory governments to unlock our housing system for children and young people. We are asking policy makers to take decisive action to fix our housing system.
|
- Develop and maintain a national pool of 15,000 dedicated youth tenancies for 15-24 year olds
- Provide linked support services so young people can pursue their goals and transition to independence
- Address the rental gap to ensure viability for housing providers and landlords offering tenancies to young people who have been homeless
|
|
|
|
|
New Foreign Investment Laws to Boost Housing Supply
During February, the Federal Government introduced legislation to adjust the foreign investment framework to help boost Australia’s housing stock and provide more homes for Australians. Higher fees for the purchase of established homes and increased penalties for those who leave properties vacant, aim to ensure foreign investment in residential property is in the national interest.
|
Government will cut application fees for foreign investment in Build to Rent projects to support the delivery of more homes across Australia.
|
|
|
|
Support the National Strategy to end youth homelessness
|
|
|
|
|
|
National Housing and Homelessness Plan UPDATE
|
|
A disappointing summary report was released last month. Little mention of young people or the call for a national strategy to end child and youth homelessness, the impetuous for much more advocacy! You can read the report here.
|
|
|
|
National housing investment
|
|
Applications for the first round of funding for social and affordable homes under the $10 billion Housing Australia Future Fund (HAFF) and the National Housing Accord are open. The investments will fund 40,000 social and affordable rental homes and provide a new opportunity for institutional investors, including superannuation funds, to partner with government.
|
|
The HAFF will also provide housing support to remote Indigenous communities, women and children leaving or experiencing DFV, and older women and veterans experiencing or at risk of homelessness. More information here website.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Growing Up in Queensland Report
|
|
|
The 2024 Growing Up in Queensland report tells the story of child and family wellbeing in Queensland. It is a comprehensive reference for researchers and policy- and decision-makers, containing extensive data and evidence about key issues affecting Queensland families. You can read the report here.
|
|
|
|
Family, Domestic and Sexual Violence
|
New release from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Family, domestic and sexual violence.
|
Based on the 2021–22 Personal Safety Survey:
|
|
Renting - New Research
|
|
More ‘rich’ are renting, while low income renters face greater stress.
|
New AHURI research released last week revealed that more households with higher incomes are renting and the shortage of private rental homes that are affordable for very low income households has worsened. The research found that:
|
- In 2021, nearly one-quarter of all renting households were in the top income segments; up from only 8 per cent in 1996
- 82 per cent of very low income renting households are in housing affordability stress
- In 2021, the proportion of low rent dwellings comprised only 13 per cent of private rental stock, shrinking from nearly 60 per cent of stock in 1996.
|
|
|
Mental Health in Australia
|
|
|
New release from the Australian Institute of Health and Welfare: Mental Health Services.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
In case you missed these publications last month:
|
|
|
|
Australia’s median rent hits new record, surpasses $600 per week
|
|
|
This article examines the performance of the rental market in Australia. Read the article here
|
|
|
|
Launch of Victorian Youth Housing Framework 2023
|
|
The Victorian youth housing and homelessness sector are providing a framework for consideration in the design of a fit for purpose youth housing model.
To view their Framework click here
|
|
Homelessness NSW
|
|
|
Rare, brief and non-recurring: A system wide approach to ending homelessness together (August 2023) Read the report here
|
|
|
|
Spatial segregation and neighbourhood change
|
This research investigates a range of significant changes in neighbourhoods in Australia’s five largest capital cities (Sydney, Melbourne, Brisbane, Adelaide and Perth) over two census periods, revealing changes in the housing market, social and economic deprivation and employment connectivity to the rest of the city and the wider region. It reveals that segregation in Australian cities is increasing over time, driven by income and economic class segregation. Read the report here
|
|
|
|
|
|
In The News
|
A snapshot of February media coverage of matters impacting young people including homelessness.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
A3HN and AAEH Call to Action
In February Guardian Australia released its investigative series about the largely invisible deaths of Australians experiencing homelessness. The series, titled ‘Out in the cold’, is the culmination of 12 months of investigation into 627 homeless deaths between 2010 and 2020.
|
Various members of the Australian Health, Housing & Homelessness Network (A3HN), Australian Alliance to End Homelessness (AAEH) contributed to the series.
|
The Guardian reported that:
|
- Individuals experiencing homelessness are dying on average at the age of 44, a life expectancy gap significantly worse than any other disadvantaged group in the country.
- Many of these deaths are preventable and linked to a critical undersupply of housing and support services.
Despite this, the Morrison government ignored a push from the A3HN in 2021 to take even the basic steps of counting homelessness deaths – a measure adopted in the UK and a range of other countries to understand the scale of the problem and formulate policy responses.
|
|
We strongly encourage you to contact your state or federal housing minister, health minister or federal local MP and call on the Commonwealth Government to implement a national homelessness deaths and life expectancy gap reporting framework. Developing such a framework would make it possible to understand the extent of homeless deaths in Australia and inform how best to address this critical issue.
|
|
‘Out in the Cold’ Guardian Articles
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Everybody’s Home is a national campaign to address the housing crisis. It focuses on working together to call on Australian governments to bring balance back to the system, so that everybody has a place to call home.
|
The campaign will be working with their 42,000 partners to strengthen the Government’s 10 year National Housing and Homelessness Plan and the National Housing and Homelessness Agreement. We simply cannot end the current shortfall without Government funding.
|
|
Call to Halve Child Poverty by 2030
|
|
Poverty affects far too many Australian children and families, diminishing their life opportunities now and into the future. As one of the wealthiest countries in the world, it’s just not right that 1 in 6 of our children grow up in poverty.
|
|
The campaign calls upon all politicians to commit to halve child poverty by 2030. QYHC is cognisant that childhood poverty is strongly connected to homelessness as a young person and in later life. Addressing poverty is essential. Find out more here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
QYHC is a member of Make Renting Fair Queensland. Homes for Queenslanders saw some amazing wins for renters, as you can see in our lead article above.
|
A huge thank you to Tenant’s Queensland for their leadership in MRFQ and their advocacy.
|
|
However, there’s still more to be done. As TQ’s CEO Penny Carr says: “Arbitrary evictions and rental increases have not yet been addressed. Tenants can be evicted from their home for no reason at the end of a lease and there is nothing to stop rent increasing arbitrarily.”
|
|
|
|
|
You can find out more about the campaign and become a supporter here.
|
|
|
|
We’re also keen supporters of Raise the Rate – it is essential to keep young people out of poverty for them to thrive. You can find out more and join the campaign here.
|
|
|
|
|
|
SAVE THE DATE
|
|
|
More information coming soon!
|
|
|
|
Youth Week 7-13 April 2024
|
|
The dates are confirmed!
Queensland Youth Week 2024 will run from Sunday 7 April to Saturday 13 April 2024.
|
|
|
|
|
Queensland Youth Week (QYW) is an annual celebration of young people aged 12 to 25 and the positive contributions they make to Queensland communities. Each year, local councils, schools and youth organisations across the state host community activities and events designed to engage young people, highlight their achievements and celebrate the role they play in sustaining healthy, vibrant, inclusive and cohesive communities.
|
|
Youth Week events will be promoted in an online calendar. Click here to register your 2024 Youth Week event or head to the Queensland Youth Week website for more information.
|
|
|
|
|
|
Now More Than Ever #NRW2024
|
|
|
The National Reconciliation Week theme for 2024, Now More Than Ever, is a reminder to all of us that no matter what, the fight for justice and the rights of Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander people will – and must – continue.
|
|
Now more than ever, we need to tackle the unfinished business of reconciliation.
|
|
Together, we must build on the work of the past and create a legacy for the future.
|
|
|
National Reconciliation Week – 27 May to 3 June every year – is a time for all Australians to learn about our shared histories, cultures, and achievements, and to recommit ourselves to reconciliation and the fight for First Nations justice in Australia.
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
