QYHC Chat September/October 2024

Housing First Nations National Conference

Last week we were treated to a wonderful joining together of First Nations organisations and colleagues across business, government and non-government sectors to focus on the essential challenge of ending homelessness for First Nations peoples. Not surprisingly a key message from Professor Tom Calma AO was "Housing makes us Healthy". This sentiment was echoed throughout the conference. The single most significant social determinant for health and wellbeing is housing.
Given the small number of First Nations Australians we’re talking about – this is absolutely achievable and needs to be a priority. Approximately 30% of our young people accessing specialist youth homelessness services are First Nations. The earlier we intervene to ensure long term stability of housing, the better their life outcomes.
There were so many inspiring speakers, and many truths shared. ATSIHQ CEO Neil Wilmett offered sobering statistics. First Nations Australians are 9 times more likely to be experiencing homelessness than the mainstream population. He stated that to achieve different results we need to try different approaches. Unbelievably we were told that our First Nations Australians have only been able to purchase land and homes since the 1967 referendum. Inconceivable that until so recently our First Nations people could not be part of our economy. Given our housing in Australia is so intricately woven into our market economy, the additional impact this has had on young Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Australians who have not yet had the benefit of intergenerational wealth so many of us take for granted. Working on home ownership amongst many other solutions was part of the rich conversations had at this thought-provoking conference!

State Election 2024

What we can expect for young people experiencing, or at risk of, homelessness.
Young people have been in good hands and we’re optimistic they will continue to be as all major parties commit to continue or enhance the work of the specialist youth homelessness services and partners.

Towards Ending Homelessness for Young Queenslanders and Homes for Queenslanders are initiatives and commitments that are game changers for the Queensland youth housing and homelessness sector and the young people they support and accommodate. Continuing this work and adding to the momentum to end youth homelessness is our aim.

We cannot overstate the significance of government and our departmental colleagues’ willingness to partner with us and their respect for our advocacy. It’s important to remember advocacy hasn’t always been well received. Being open to critique is so important in the relationships we engage in and we’re appreciative of this. Continuing to ensure space for advocacy is essential moving forward. Read more here

Supporting Young People’s Agency in the Political Process

Our State Election is fast approaching. It’s so important that young people are well informed and confident when it comes to voting for their chosen candidates.

For those supporting young people in voting on October 26th, information on how to enrol or update enrolment can be found here.

Everything you need to know about voting in Queensland can be found here.

Congratulations Julia!

Celebrating Our Julia!

Last month began with Queensland Child Protection Week. Our 'Shouting From the Rooftops' Young People’s Reference Group member Julia took out the Education Award! Apart from her work with us, her full-time role in Child Safety, parenting and advocating – who knew Julia is also an author! Her brilliant children’s books ensured she won the coveted award in very good company with other very deserving nominees.

We’re so proud of Julia and so very fortunate to have her in our organisation!

She is reminder to all that with care and respect, listening and meeting children and young people’s needs, complicated experiences can lead to extraordinary humans!
Julia was in excellent company with the crème de la crème of child protection advocates as candidates and award recipients. You can see all the other fabulous Award recipients here.

Julia’s award-winning books, 'My Body, My Choice' and 'No is a Complete Sentence', are wonderful! We’ll have them available at our next Platform 1225!

13th - 19th October

Over three million Australians live in poverty, with those relying on Jobseeker, Youth Allowance, and similar payments often facing difficult choices between paying rent, buying food, or accessing necessary medicine.

This is Anti-Poverty Week. We can take inspiration from countries like New Zealand where laws to reduce child poverty and improve child wellbeing have been passed. We can do it too.
In its 22nd year of acting to end poverty in Australia, you can support 3 campaigns:
ACOSS’s briefing note "Poverty in Australia: Facts and Solutions," provides key insights and strategies. This is a must read for action during Anti-Poverty Week.

Homes for Queenslanders Latest: UPDATE

Youth Subsidy for Community Housing Providers.

More young people will be supported into housing, thanks to a new Youth Subsidy. This initiative, part of the Homes for Queenslanders plan, will help eligible young people aged 16 to 25 secure a home.

The Youth Subsidy is available for registered community housing providers to find more opportunities for young people to move out of crisis accommodation into long-term, stable housing.

Read more about the Youth Subsidy HERE.

You can read more updates here.

Renters Relief Package

Through Homes for Queenslanders, the Queensland Government is further supporting renters to find, get and keep a rental home.
The Renters Relief Package 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. This expanded eligibility means that income limits have increased so more Queenslanders can access renting assistance.
  • 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.  

Youth Essentials

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.

It provides access to essential goods and services that are necessary for securing and maintaining housing, such as:
  • 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.
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.
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:
  • living in care (child safety)
  • youth justice
  • corrections
  • temporary supported accommodation
  • youth foyers.
Find out more here.

Apply now for The QUBE Effect 2025

The QUBE Effect 2025 is an annual music development program run by Brisbane City Council for musicians aged 12 to 25.
Finalists are mentored by top industry experts, gain live performance opportunities, and have their own music videos created. The program helps artists develop their skills and build connections within the music industry. Applications for 2025 are open until 4 pm on November 7, 2024. Applicants can seek support at the Visible Ink Youth Hub, which offers music production resources and guidance.

Apply now via Council’s website.
Check out The QUBE Effect 2024 finalists music videos on Council’s YouTube.

Brighter Futures Brisbane is starting soon!

Picabeen have been awarded a Youth Justice Community-Based Crime Action Make a Difference grant.

The target audience is young people aged 12-18 who are currently engaged with or at risk of engaging with the youth justice system. The goal is to equip these young people with the skills they need to succeed, improve their overall health and well-being, and foster positive connections within their communities.

A 2-hour session will run twice a week on Wednesdays and Thursdays from 12 PM to 2 PM over 7 weeks starting 30th of October. These sessions will focus on practical skills development, such as bike maintenance, basic tool use, first aid, RSA, white card, road safety, martial arts, financial literacy, and AOD early intervention. In addition to these practical skills, we will also incorporate sessions on values, strategies for managing stress and anger, understanding the consequences of incarceration, and promoting safe social media practices.

REPORTS, ARTICLES AND PUBLICATIONS

Young People and Drugs Resources, Webinar and Training

Dovetail’s resources to support those working with young people using alcohol and other drugs are great! Check out the toolkit. Insight - Toolkits - Dovetail

There’s also a couple of online courses to do:
  • U0.1 | INTRODUCTION TO ALCOHOL AND OTHER DRUGS crash course: Watch here.
  • 2.06 | WITHDRAWAL MANAGEMENT - Alcohol withdrawal management: Watch here.

Recordings of Popular Webinars

Hidden costs: measuring the real affordability of housing
This webinar explored how housing affordability measures could expand to include energy efficiency (heating/cooling costs), location (transport and disadvantage), and building quality (health and maintenance costs). Watch here.

Sub Standard – Lifting Australian building quality
This webinar explored how a national strategy could enhance the quality of Australian housing, focusing on mechanisms like improved standards for new homes, mandatory energy performance disclosures, independent compliance enforcement, and minimum rental property standards. Watch here.

Is your organisation Child Safe?

Child Safe Organisations
Every child has the right to feel and be safe at all times. Safety requires active effort. The implementation of child safe standards is happening across Queensland: dates highlighted in the image. Find out more about child safe organisations here.

Everybody’s Home – Priced Out: An Index of Affordable Rentals for People on the Lowest Incomes

A new Everybody’s Home report reveals that low-income Australians are being priced out of rentals nationwide, despite increases in Centrelink payments and rent assistance. The 2024 'Priced Out' report shows severe rental stress for those relying on Centrelink or full-time minimum wage across all major cities and most regional areas. It highlights the need for more social housing and payments that align with housing costs, even after recent increases in Centrelink and rent assistance. Read here.

A national roadmap for improving the building quality of Australian housing stock

Housing in poor physical condition directly harms occupants' health, increases operational costs, and hinders Australia's efforts to mitigate and adapt to climate change. This research explores the measures required to improve the quality of Australian housing to meet international standards and address the challenges of aging and inefficient housing in both owned and rental sectors. Read here.
YANQ’s October Community of Practice
Young People and Drugs

Online forum: 22nd October 2024 10am-12pm
The guest speaker at this session is Karl Lacis who is currently an advanced youth AOD educator with Dovetail. Karl provides advice and training to workers across Queensland who work with young people affected by AOD use. He has worked across AOD prevention, early intervention and treatment services for many years both in Australia and the UK.
If you are interested in participating either join the Youth Work Community of Practice by registering here or send an email with your contact details to admin@yanq.org.au
Growing suburban homelessness rates are driven by shortage of affordable rental housing.
This study examines the shifting patterns of homelessness in Australia between 2001 and 2021, highlighting the impact of structural factors like poverty and the availability of affordable rental housing. It estimates that, to meet the housing needs of those who used Specialist Homelessness Services in 2021–22, around 158,000 one- to two-bedroom homes and 25,000 three-or-more-bedroom homes are required nationwide. Read here.

The role of housing providers in supporting clients with complex needs.
This research highlights the need to prioritise more housing options for people on social housing waiting lists, as long wait times and unsafe housing worsen challenges for those with increased health needs. Read here.
This strategy outlines a comprehensive approach involving the entire government and community to incorporate trauma-informed practices throughout Queensland. Over the next five years, it aims to foster optimal conditions for individuals, families, caregivers, and communities to access the right support as early as possible. Read here.

Hundreds of Queenslanders seek safer substance use

More than 600 people have used Queensland’s pill-testing services to test 840 potentially harmful drug samples since March 2024. New data reveals that many people who have used pill-testing services are doing so for the first time. Service users are reporting positive changes in behaviour, such as taking smaller doses, disposing of additional samples, and informing others about their results.
You can read more here.

New laws protect 16-17 year olds from sexual interactions with adults

Laws passed to introduce ‘Position of Authority’ offences, to protect children aged 16 or 17 from sexual interactions with adults in a position of authority.
There are also further protections for victim-survivors of domestic, family and sexual violence in the court process.
The Criminal Code has been amended to clarify scope of strangulation offence.
Read more here.

Introduction to the Nurtured Heart Approach

The Nurtured Heart Approach® is a framework that fosters positive self-perception and resilience in children. It involves a three-step process: minimising attention to negative behaviours, recognising positive behaviours, and setting clear boundaries. It aims to build confidence and enhance children's choices. These webinars/workshops encourage a shift in perspective on challenging behaviours and equip participants with tools to improve children's self-image and relationships. Register for webinar or workshop.

OPPORTUNITIES FOR STAFF

Zig Zag is recruiting for three part-time permanent Support and Advocacy Worker roles in their Housing Program (64 hours/fortnight, SCHCADS Award Level 5). Experienced Support and Advocacy Workers to assist young people facing housing injustice are being sought. The role includes providing holistic support, crisis response, safety assessments, referrals, group activities, and community engagement.

For more information about how to apply, click here.
This short article summarises the key findings of a systematic review conducted by Jean-Thorn and colleagues (2023) that examined whether community factors can help foster resilience in young people (aged ≤24 years) who have experienced maltreatment. It provides some insights for practitioners and services working to support young people and their families where maltreatment may have occurred.

It is estimated that 62% of Australians (aged 16–65 years) have experienced at least one type of maltreatment as a child (Higgins et al., 2023). Among those who’ve experienced a single type of childhood maltreatment, 36% developed a mental health disorder in adulthood, while 55% of those who experienced multiple types of maltreatment developed a mental health disorder (Scott et al., 2023).
You can read the full article here
The Human Rights Commission is delivering training in Brisbane, Townsville and online between now and November. If you can't attend the interactive training, online self-paced modules that let users learn at their own pace and on their own schedule are also available. This option is ideal for large workforces or individuals seeking a concise introduction to anti-discrimination and human rights law. Learn more here.

Supporting families to navigate tough times

The impact of financial and housing insecurity, isolation and discrimination.
With a steep rise in the cost of living, a growing number of Australian families are having to navigate financial distress, housing insecurity, social isolation and discrimination. These factors have a significant impact on the mental health and wellbeing of children and families. Furthermore, society still tends to blame ‘poor parenting’ or ‘poor decision-making’ rather than the broader social and contextual factors that are at play. This dynamic can increase families’ shame and guilt, and cause even more harm.

Supporting families as they navigate these challenges can be complex. This webinar will introduce a new collection of resources from Emerging Minds that you can use in your work with children and families.
Date & time: Wednesday 13 November 2024, 1:00 – 2:00PM (AEDT). Find your time zone.
Register here.

In the News

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). It is aimed at people working with and caring for children and young people who have experienced trauma.
Learn more here.

CAMPAIGN NEWS

The important HomeTime campaign, of which QYHC is a member, hosted a national social media day on Thursday 19 September to highlight the needs of homeless children and young people. The #MeAt16 initiative encouraged people to share a photo of themselves at 16 and reflect on the importance of having a home during the teenage years.

Home Time is advocating for policies and investments to create 15,000 youth-specific tenancies, paired with support services, across the country. Recent polls show that 84% of Australians are concerned about housing affordability, and 91% worry about youth homelessness.

Find out more and join the campaign here.
QYHC is a member of Make Renting Fair Queensland, led by Tenants Queensland, staunch advocates of rental reform in Queensland. There is acknowledgement that there has been some changes to tenancy law over the past few years that have made renting fairer. However, there are still three remaining asks that are being advocated for in the lead up to the state election later this month:
  • Limit the annual amount that rents can be increased to the level of the Consumer Price Index
  • Removal of the ‘end of a fixed term’ as a reason to end a tenancy and
  • Include minimum standards for energy efficiency
As the election approaches, the alliance is calling for support to make sure that MPs care about renters. If you want your voice to be heard, MRFQ have set up a letter on their website which is easy to fill out and can be addressed to your local MP stating you want to limit rent increases. Send your letter and support the campaign today!

In Case you missed last month’s
Reports, Articles and Publications

The Game Changers report, co-produced by Queenslanders with Disability Network (QDN) and Urbis, examines how the Brisbane 2032 Olympic and Paralympic Games could significantly improve employment opportunities for people with disabilities in Queensland.

Drawing on lessons from global events like the London and Tokyo Olympics, the report highlights the Games' potential to foster inclusivity and shift societal perceptions. It also offers insights into the current employment landscape for people with disabilities in Queensland and provides recommendations to enhance this ecosystem before, during, and after the 2032 Games. Read report here.
This report highlights the national crisis of child and youth homelessness being faced in our country.

The high number of homeless children in Australia reveals a significant failure in public policy. In the 2022-23 period, over 76,000 children under 18 sought assistance from homelessness services.

Notably, nearly 16,000 of these children approached services on their own, often escaping violence or neglect. Of particular significance is that First Nations children are overrepresented among children experiencing homelessness. Nationally, 32% of homeless children are First Nations despite only comprising 6.8% of the population under 18 years of age. You can read the report here.
AIHW: Specialist homelessness services client pathways: Rough sleeping clients 2016-18 (update)

AIHW: Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Health Performance Framework website - update
Improving ‘liveability’ is key to thriving populations in regional centres.
New AHURI research finds that a focus on enhancing liveability factors, such as housing, health, education and infrastructure are key to regional centres growing and retaining a population that thrives.
This is Mission Australia’s fifth biennial report on youth homelessness. The report analyses data from the 2023 Youth Survey to identify key disparities between young people who have experienced homelessness and those with stable housing, and offers policy recommendations aimed at ending youth homelessness in Australia.
Every year, Mission Australia conducts the largest annual survey of young people in Australia, inviting 15 to 19-year-olds to share their challenges, concerns, and experiences. The 2023 Youth Survey report compiles insights from 19,501 responses, highlighting young people's concerns about the environment, equity and discrimination, economic and financial issues, and mental health.
The 2024-2026 action plan builds on the Young Queenslanders Strategy and aims to empower young people in Queensland through:
  • Participation: Encouraging exploration and positive influence in their surroundings.
  • Future Cultivation: Providing tailored opportunities to support their unique needs and interests.
  • Empowerment: Equipping them with the information, resources, and support necessary for their success.
  • Community Engagement: Ensuring they feel connected, celebrated, and resilient within their communities.
Read it here.
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