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QYHC Chat July 2024
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SYHS Updates
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40 new beds for young people in Townsville!
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Congratulations to Mission Australia, the Queensland government and Townsville's young people and sector - the new Youth Foyer looks fabulous!
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As Minister Scanlon said - "Youth Foyers aren’t just a bed to sleep in, they are a place that provides wraparound support and changes lives. We’re building another eight of them across Queensland as part of our housing plan." Read more here.
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Homes for Queenslanders Latest
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Every Queenslander deserves a
home campaign
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Every renter deserves more stability.
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We’re helping Queenslanders find, get and keep a rental home.
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Every renter deserves a fair price.
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We’re banning all forms of rent bidding.
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Every homeless person deserves a home.
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We’re building 53,500 new social homes by 2046.
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Every first homeowner deserves a chance to buy.
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We’ve set a target of 1 million new homes by 2046.
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Blending the building of more modular homes and training the next generation of tradies at the same time is exciting too!
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For more information, click here.
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Renters Relief Package expanded eligibility
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Through Homes for Queenslanders, the Queensland Government is further supporting renters to find, get and keep a rental home.
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The Renters Relief Package (learn more here) has expanded eligibility for a range of products and services to help customers find and apply for a place to rent, help to get a rental, and help to keep their place if they’re having financial difficulties.
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This expanded eligibility means that income limits have increased so more Queenslanders can access renting assistance.
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- For more information visit The QLD government website here
- Or get in touch with your local Housing Service Centre Contact here
- People who need housing help can go to qld.gov.au/housinghelp, call 13 QGOV (13 74 68) or the Homeless Hotline on 1800 474 753.
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Youth Housing Essentials supports young people (25 and under), who are transitioning from government services. It offers short-term, practical, tailored brokerage assistance of up to $5,000 per household to address their essential housing needs.
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It provides access to essential goods and services that are necessary for securing and maintaining housing, such as:
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- furniture, fridge, washing machine and other essential home items
- education or work necessities, such as school stationery and work clothing
- transport and moving costs, such as vehicle registration, Go Cards, removalists and identification
- mobile phone and prepaid phone credit.
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To access Youth Housing Essentials, a young person must be supported by a service provider, support agency or Housing Service Centre – young people are not able to apply for the funding without support.
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Youthh Housing essentials can be used in conjunction with other departmental products and services. As an organisation, supporting eligible young people, you can apply for this assistance on behalf of any young people you support who are transitioning from services, such as:
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- living in care (child safety)
- youth justice
- corrections
- temporary supported accommodation
- youth foyers.
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Welcome to our new Federal Housing Minister
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A very warm welcome to Clare O’Neil MP, the newly appointed Federal Housing and Homelessness Minister. QYHC in partnership with the youth housing and homelessness sector looks forward to many important conversations with Minister O’Neil as we collectively tackle the housing issues confronting Queensland, especially young people.
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QYHC extends our thanks and farewell to Julie Collins MP for her service as Minister for Housing and Homelessness and we wish her the best in her new portfolio in Agriculture, Fisheries and Forestry.
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Supporting Young People’s Agency in the Political Process
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It’s so important for our young people to have a say and be counted. Ensuring their access to voting as well as access to information to make informed choices is so important.
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We have 2 key elections within the next 12 months – Federal and State. Young people want to be heard about matters that are important to them – housing, support, food, education and training, and work. It is important to note that eligible young voters who haven’t voted in previous elections due to homelessness don’t need to worry about fines, they’re excempt.
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Young people can get the ball rolling and enrol to vote here. They don’t yet have to be 18 to sign up.
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Read the how to vote guide here and search your electorate here.
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Read the Queensland State Election Explainer here
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WOW What a Week! - NAIDOC
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What a wonderful celebration of NAIDOC Week around Queensland. Our youth services were out in their regions leading, and participating in a multitude of events with young people front and centre!
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Roseberry staff and clients attended and showed their support at the Rocky NAIDOC Week March and Family Expo.
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GCYS celebrated NAIDOC week by attending a community event hosted by the Gold Coast Titans and were treated to musical and dance performances by local cultural groups.
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Wesley Mission and YFS kicked off NAIDOC Week by attending Logan’s event. It was full of family fun activities and celebrations of the history and culture of First Nations people. Services had blast running stalls with face painting, coloured hair spray, games and popcorn.
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YAC had a great time celebrating NAIDOC Week at Musgrave Park Family Fun Day.
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ICYS Tidda Tings was on again and this year the event was led and organised by 6 young women aged 11-19 years. Tidda Tings is an opportunity for ATSI young women to celebrate NAIDOC and feel inspired to be a strong Tidda.
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QFS celebrated NAIDOC Week at Riverway with a deadly day out filled with fun and cultural experiences.
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Services were in attendance at Caboolture’s NAIDOC Flag Raising Event and got to experience Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander culture through a smoking ceremony and dancing stalls. Kurbingui engaged people in a creative art activity at their stall.
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Hundreds of Mount Isa locals took part in NAIDOC Day 2024 March, which began at Outback at Isa on Marian Street.
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The march travelled along Marian Street to Rodeo Drive, before finishing at the Civic Centre front lawns on West Street, for the NAIDOC Family Fun Day, hosted by Mob FM.
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Happy Birthday Kalwun!
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Congratulations Kalwun on Celebrating 30 years of your great work and organisation. Such a special evening enjoyed by so many! There have been so many positive achievements! Kieran Chilcott spoke of community advocacy, history and the passion of working for a brighter future. What a great new inspirational Kalwun logo to unveil too!
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Gold Coast Homelessness Connect has organisations galore and so many give aways and entertainment offerings!
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POP by if you’re in Mt Isa!
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Community Connect Service Expos are happening throughout Queensland in August. Mt Isa’s looks fabulous! Gold Coast is going to be huge too!
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Homelessness Australia hosts Homelessness Week annually to build community support and government commitment to end homelessness.
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Homelessness Week 2024 will be held from Monday August 5 to Sunday August 11.
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The theme is “Homelessness Action Now”.
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Queensland has multiple events to raise awareness on the importance of ending homelessness.
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Don a daggy jumper to raise money to help young people to find safe housing and build better, brighter futures.
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An important conversation
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Panel discussion: Trauma-informed care in youth detention
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How can trauma-informed care be embedded in a security-focused youth justice system? How do care teams manage competing priorities to meet the trauma-related needs of children in detention?
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Free panel discussion on August 15 to join the discussion on the latest research and best practices towards therapeutic care for children in Australian youth justice systems. Register here.
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Call to recognise Children of DFV as victims in their own right
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The Australian Child Maltreatment Study (ACMS) showed that not only have 62% of Australians experienced child maltreatment, but that exposure to domestic violence is the most common form. The recent ANROWS report on filicides in Australia revealed that intimate partner violence and family violence are significant risk factors for these killings.
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“There is a Rapid Review underway with an expert panel investigating opportunities for prevention of violence against women,” says National Children’s Commissioner Anne Hollonds. “Evidence shows that if we are serious about ending violence against adult women, we need to get serious about stopping violence experienced in childhood. This is the hidden prevention opportunity that has been ignored.”
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Workshop
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This workshop introduces the Trauma Transformative paradigm as a way to inform our practice with children. It will outline the knowledge and dimensions described in The Handbook of Trauma Transformative Practice (Tucci, Mitchell, Porges, Tronik 2024).
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It is aimed at people working with and caring for children and young people who have experienced trauma. Learn more here.
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REPORTS, ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS
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Exiting Youth Detention Report
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Queensland Family and Child Commission has released the Exiting Youth Detention Report, hearing directly from young people about how we can support them to transform their futures on leaving detention. QFCC Principal Commissioner Luke Twyford observes that "young people who have experienced detention feel rejected by people in their communities, which they said is a significant disincentive to contribute positively and change their behaviour for the better."
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This insight illustrates key opportunities for the kinds of supports that can deliver safety and wellbeing to young people and their communities.
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Queensland Youth Justice Strategy 2024 – 2028
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Since our last QYHC Chat, The Safer Queensland – Queensland Youth Justice Strategy 2024 – 2028 was released.
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This new Youth Justice Strategy is intended to be capable of being continually updated as new responses to youth crime are trialled, and programs and investments are expanded and extended, and as understanding is increased and the evidence base of what works, for who and when is clearer.
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For those who have not seen the strategy it is available on the Department's website here.
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The link to Minister Farmer's media release is here.
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Calls to Immediately
End the Detention of Children
in Watch Houses
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Footage obtained by SBS The Feed and Guardian Australia reveals children in distress being placed in isolation cells within Queensland's police watch houses, which lack basic amenities. Concerns about the treatment of children in these facilities have been longstanding. Advocates argue these conditions harm children's chances of rehabilitation. Following the release of the footage noted above, the Queensland Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Child Protection Peak (QATSICPP) issued a statement calling for the immediate end to the detention of children in watch houses. They urge the Queensland Government to remove all children from adult watch houses, citing evidence that detention causes trauma and long-term mental health issues. The Office of Public Guardian reported 550 cases of children in watch houses in the first two months of this year. Addressing the causes of youth offending, including early assessment of conditions such as Fetal Alcohol Syndrome (FASD), is critical. QATSICPP emphasises the need for improved support for children to ensure they grow up safe and have positive futures. Learn more here.
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National poll finds 9 in 10 Australians support action on housing for young people
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HomeTime’s first national poll reports overwhelming concern for the number of children (15-17 year-olds) with nowhere to live as well as strong community support for government action.
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This support was consistent across demographic factors such as state, metro/regional location, age, household income and party affiliation.
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- Over nine in ten (91%) of Australians were concerned at the high number of unaccompanied children experiencing homelessness each year.
- Total support for making housing for unaccompanied children experiencing homelessness a national priority was also 91% - matching community concern with an appetite for action.
- Six in ten (62%) ‘strongly supported’ the Federal Government making housing for children experiencing homelessness a national priority, with only 5% opposing a focus on child homelessness
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You can read the full media release here.
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Join the campaign sign up here.
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#FixHousingForYoungPeople #HomeTime.
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ACOSS is preparing a report about income support payments including JobSeeker and Youth Allowance and their adequacy to meet basic costs.
If you receive an income support payment, we would love to hear from you. Will you take 10 minutes to complete this survey? Respond to the Survey here.
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Queensland locks up more children than any other state.
We lock up children for longer than any other place in the nation, and our detention rates have been going up over the past four years. By that measure, we should be the safest state in the country.
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So why are we in the midst of a youth crime crisis?
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Because imprisoning Queensland children does not teach them a lesson. It does not help them change their behaviour. It does not keep our communities safe, and it costs millions of dollars.
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Tell Queensland Premier Steven Miles it's time for change by supporting the campaign here.
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QYHC is a member of Make Renting Fair Queensland, led by Tenants Queensland, staunch advocates of rental reform in Queensland. Last month saw the proposed changes to tenancy laws passed. Also, in a separate Bill, improvements for residents of Manufactured Homes passed. Congratulations to the Queensland government, TQ, MRFQ and all involved in these changes.
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There are significant improvements for Queensland renters in the package of reforms just passed and those which were made into law in October 2021.
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Three outstanding issues will remain on the agenda of MRFQ and TQ:
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- Limiting the amount that rents can rise
- Truly ending without ground notices to leave (by prohibiting the use of ‘end of a fixed term’)
- Energy efficiency minimum standards.
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You can find out more about the campaign and become a supporter here.
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In Case you missed last month’s
Reports, Articles and Publications
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Strengthening the Human Rights Act: key issues paper
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This document is a summary of key improvements the Commission considers could be made to the Act and the way it is implemented. It is not a submission to the review and does not address all the issues in the Terms of Reference for the review. Read here.
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Managing uncertainty in professional practice
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This practice guide provides an overview of the concepts of uncertainty and uncertainty tolerance and their significance to professional practice. It also outlines the individual, practice and organisational factors that can contribute to uncertainty and describes evidence-based strategies for how practitioners can manage practice uncertainties.
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Tackling tricky conversations: Affirmative consent, pornography, and social media
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This three-hour workshop will outline the foundations of healthy relationships and take participants through the foundations of supporting young people to understand the concepts of giving and receiving of consent in relation to sexual activity, within the context of a trauma informed approach. It deepens and explores the role and influence of social media and pornography on how young people navigate consent and online safety, while developing a healthy relationship. Read more or register here.
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Trans @ Work
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The QHRC Trans @ Work guide has recently been updated following the introduction of stronger and clearer protections for trans, non-binary and gender diverse Queenslanders in the Anti-Discrimination Act. The guide contains tips on managing a successful gender affirmation in the workplace and guidance for employers on complying with their legal obligations and providing a safe and inclusive workplace for trans and gender diverse staff. You can read more here.
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School to work transition for young people with disability
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Explore evidence-based and practical guidance on how successful transition from school to employment for people with disability can occur. CSI Swinburne's latest report combines international evidence with analysis of the Australian ecosystem, and a deep-dive into the Ticket to Work initiative and its impact.
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New birth certificate laws
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As of 24 June 2024, trans and gender diverse people and diverse families will be better reflected on Queensland birth certificates. Queenslanders are no longer required to undergo 'sexual reassignment surgery' to alter their sex on their birth certificate. Children can apply to change their records through a more accessible process. Non-binary identities can be reflected on birth certificates. Once registered as their sex, people must be treated in accordance with that sex across all Queensland laws. Parents can choose to be labelled as 'mother', 'father' or 'parent' on their children's birth certificates and older half-siblings can be added to a child's birth certificate.
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