Early intervention program helps to prevent youth…

Steven* was 18 years old when a family breakdown led to him losing not only his parents' support, but a place to call home. He was just six months away from finishing Year 12.

Unable to live with his extended family or a foster carer, Steven turned to sleeping on his friend’s sofa and then in a friend of a friend’s garage – whatever was necessary to put a roof over his head each night.

Sadly, Steven’s story is not unusual. Across Australia, 1 in 6 young people has experienced homelessness (Mission Australia, 2020) with young people aged 15-24 making up a staggering 21% of the population experiencing homelessness (ABS, 2016).

“There are many reasons a young person might find themselves homeless or at risk of homelessness. For many of the young people accessing Berry Street’s programs and services, it’s due to mental health and significant trauma history,” said Courtney Pulis, Team Leader, Education and Youth Transition Support.

Early intervention program helps to prevent youth homelessness in Gippsland region

Fortunately, Steven was referred to Berry Street’s GOALS (Going Out and Living Successfully) program, which provides support and accommodation for young people who are homeless, at risk of homelessness or about to leave out-of-home care.

“There really isn’t any other program that offers both case management and housing for young people or families, which is surprising,” said Courtney Pulis, Team Leader Education and Youth Transition Support.

GOALS is a one-of-kind program that exists to support the need for housing within the community and to be able to offer young people somewhere to live safely, to assist them with whatever barriers they’re facing and to improve their independent living skills.

Courtney Pulis Team Leader Education and Youth Transition Support

By providing safe and secure accommodation, the young people living in one of our GOALS units are free to focus on their education, employment or training. Over the two-year program, GOALS residents are supported by the live-in mentor and other staff to:

develop practical independent living skills
increase their self-esteem and confidence
build strong links to their community.

Steven finds a safe home and develops solid skills for independent living

Steven has big goals for his future and was committed to staying in school and finishing his final year – but without a safe and secure place to call home, his prospects seemed bleak.

On moving into his GOALS unit, Steven quickly set about making it his home. His new home is his pride and joy, and he keeps it very neat and tidy, which means he passes the regular unit inspections with flying colours!

Steven was encouraged to explore his interest in health and fitness and was taught how to create healthy meals in the shared GOALS kitchen. He now loves cooking a meal to share with his friends and fellow GOALS residents at the weekly group meetings.

Through our driving support and mentoring L2P program, Steven also began working towards getting his driver’s licence, as he knew this would lead to better work opportunities and more independence in the future. Steven also secured a part-time job in a local retail store, so he could work towards his new goal of saving for his first car.

Steven excelled in his final term at school and got his driver’s licence. After he graduated, he got a full-time job and has been recommended for a leadership role. He’s saving hard so he’ll be ready to move out of his GOALS unit and live independently.

Support us in providing safe homes to Victorian young people

Over the last three years, Courtney has seen the demand for our youth housing program soar – she receives almost daily enquiries about our GOALS properties in Morwell and Traralgon.

"GOALS offers an opportunity, support and guidance to young people so that they don’t fall back into homelessness at the end of the program,” said Courtney.

“We work side-by-side with the young person to ensure they are ready to live independently and have the right supports in place to be able to manage if times do get tough.”