Kalyan Youth Service Inc Housing and Support Program….

Kalyan Youth Service IncHousing and Support Program…. Supporting Regional and Remote Area Young People to Transition into Independent Living…. Miranda McReynolds – Kane Kalyan Youth Service Inc Mackay QLD kalyanceo@bigpond.com.au

Background….Kalyan Youth Service Inc is a secular, community run, organisation that supports young people in the Mackay region through two accommodation programs. … The Shelter (SHS) CRISIS ACCOMMODATION FORYOUNG PEOPLE AGED 13-21 WHO ARE HOMELESS OR AT RISK OF HOMELESSNESS Youth Support Workers at Kalyan provide residents with 24hr: • Support with Improving Living Skills • Support with Finding Employment and/or Education/Training • Support with Gaining Financial Independence • Support with Family Reunification and/or Transitioning into Independent Living, and; • Intensive Case Management to support Young People with whatever they feel they need while they are a resident at Kalyan. Housing and Support Program TRANSITIONAL/ MEDIUM TERM SEMI-INDEPENDENT ACCOMMODATION FORYOUNG PEOPLE AGED 16-24 YEARS A 2 Bedroom Unit for 2 Young People sharing or a young family, who are provided with: • Regular Case Management • Support with Budgeting • Support with Improving Living Skills such as; Cooking, Living with other Young People, Maintaining a Rental Property etc. • Support with Finding and/or Maintaining Employment and/or Education/Training • Support with Obtaining Independent Accommodation, and; • Support with whatever they feel they need while they are a tenant of Kalyan.

Challenges as a Regional Service…. • Kalyan is the only youth service of it’s type as far north as Townsville and as far south as Rockhampton. • Mackay is a regional city that has been heavily impacted by the mining boom resulting in less than 1% rental vacancies and high rental prices, with around 50 people at a time applying for each rental vacancy and many people, particularly young people, being priced out of the rental market. • Limited services in the Mackay region for homeless young people, for example no drop-in/day services for the homeless and no youth specific AOD services, including no residential services or safe places. • As the only crisis accommodation service for young people in the region, the young people we accommodate through the shelter include: • Male and Female, • Young women escaping domestic violence, including young people referred by services such as DV Connect, • Young people who are 1st time out of home and chronically homeless young people, • Young people with current substance misuse issues • Young People with mental health issues • Respite care for young people with disabilities and in some instances transitional accommodation for young people with disabilities • Placement option for Child Safety Services • Our target group is young people aged 16-21, however due limited resources in our region we accommodate young people as young as 13. • While most crisis accommodation services in our state accommodate between 4 and 6 young people, we are still an 8 bed service, however our funding is the same as other 4 to 6 bed services. • The service is funded for 1 support worker per shift, a worker/client ratio of 1 to 8, and just a sleepover shift between the hours of 1030pm and 630am

What’s Working…. Individual Needs focussed Case Managementand Wrap Around Support • With an individual needs’ focussed Client Support Agreement, young people identify their own goals and are supported continuously to achieve them. We’ve created a non-judgemental and culturally appropriate environment that enhances empowerment in the decision-making process and focusses on each individual’s needs. • As a regional service, coordinated case management is essential. Working with limited resources, we network extensively and work closely with the other services in the region to provide support to our clients. This means, for example, a full-time secondary student accommodated through the shelter will be supported by the regions only Youth Support Coordinator Program. If a young person wants to be reunified with her/his family then they are supported by the regions only Unite Program (reconnect program). Clients are supported externally by disability support services, culturally appropriate services etc. Most specific individual needs are met through coordinated case management with external services.

What’s Working….Living Skills Program • All shelter residents, regardless of their ages or presenting issues, participate in an intensive living skills program designed to prepare young people for independent living. The program is very basic and straightforward and therefore can be adapted to each individual resident’s needs. • Young people participate in the living skills program from the moment they are accommodated and the most basic of essential living skills are addressed for example, health and hygiene. We document when residents shower, brush their teeth, which meals they eat each day. There is a laundry roster and residents are responsible for all house washing with a support worker available at all times to assist and teach when necessary. • The term ‘rules’ and ‘chores’ have been replaced with the terms ‘expectations’ and ‘responsibilities’, to assist young people to understand the concept behind societal rules. The shelter ‘house responsibilities and expectations’ have been designed to teach young people basic living skills such as cooking and cleaning, in a way that promotes team work and cohesive living. Very importantly , staff are included in the responsibilities roster and participate in all responsibilities with residents. Most popular is the shelter menu plan - residents learn to cook a range of nutritious meals – chicken, red meat, vegetarian etc. • Young people are accommodated through the shelter for ‘duration of need’ and the living skills program is designed in such a way that depending on their presenting issues, young people can be prepared for independent living within 3 weeks or within 6 months. This means, that if a young person is ready for independent accommodation within 3 to 4 weeks there is a bed available for another young person in crisis and if a young person is able to be accommodated for 6 to 9 months, however long necessary to prepare them for independent living, he/she is less likely to re-enter crisis accommodation once exiting.

Living Skills Program’ Tools at a glance…. • Client Support Agreement (Shelter) • Kalyan Youth Shelter Guidelines (expectations and responsibilities), • Access and Equity Policy, • Consumer Rights and Responsibilities, • Daily Task Register, • Menu Plan, • Daily House Responsibilities, • House Meeting Guidelines, • Where Does My Money Go (Budget), • Client Support Agreement (Transitional – Shelter to Housing and Support Program).

The Housing and Support Program • The housing and support program is an unfunded program, consisting of a block of 2 bedroom units that Kalyan leases through Housing and Homelessness Services. • Through the Housing and Support Program, Kalyan is currently only able to provide 2 hours of support per fortnight to each young person accommodated through the program. However, because young people are already being case managed by external services whilst in crisis accommodation, wrap around support is already in place for each young person who is transitioned to the program. This also means that young people are able to access ongoing support once living independently. • The focus of the support provided by Kalyan is to prepare young people for independent living and because as a service we have a philosophy of capacity building, our aim is not exit young people into long term social housing but instead into the private rental market. • Single young people share a 2 bedroom unit and this prepares them for share accommodation, the most common independent living option for a young person. • Initially young people are accommodated on a 13 week occupancy agreement and are taught their rights and responsibilities as tenants from day one. For example, they are taught how to complete an Entry Condition Report, there are fortnightly flat inspections during the occupancy agreement and young people are supported to keep the flat maintained to a standard expected in the private rental market. Young people are taught about their rights and responsibilities in relation to entry notices and other notices that they may receive from a landlord or real estate agent. If a young person wishes to remain in the program beyond the 13 weeks, they are offered a General Tenancy Agreement. • Young people are supported to become financially independent. They complete a fortnightly budget, they are supported with savings plans, we offer a bond contribution option and Climate Smart Home Energy monitoring systems are installed in all the units and young people are taught how to monitor their power usage from day one.

Housing and Support Program Tools at a glance…. • Client Support Agreement (Units), • Beginning an Occupancy Agreement (guidelines on topics such as loud music, giving out keys to your unit, respecting the peace and privacy of neighbours etc.) • Occupancy Agreement, • Where does my money go? (Budget) • Bond Contribution Policy, • Visitor’s Policy.

The Housing and Support Program….Young Families • Over the past 4 years, 13 young families have been accommodated through the housing and support program, • Through individual needs focused case management, young parents are supported externally by support services such as Good Beginnings, local mother’s groups, culturally appropriate play groups etc.….the young parents decide how they would like to be supported, for example home visits from Community Nurses or home support volunteers ,or accessing external services of their choosing such as playgroups or relationship support for young couples, • Through a focus on capacity building, young mothers are supported to enter or re-enter education or training or gain part-time or full-time employment and supported to access appropriate child care options. Motivated by different reasons – improving their financial situation, expanding their social contact, improving their skills etc. – all young parents that have been accommodated through the housing and support program have chosen to be supported to enter or re-enter education or training or gain part-time or full-time employment. • Kalyan runs a monthly parent’s group, where young parents are taught to cook different meals and people from the local community speak to them about topics such as first aid, healthy eating for children, dental care etc.

The Housing and Support Program….Community Support • Over the past 3 years, local trades people from all walks of life – electricians, carpenters, painters/decorators etc. have volunteered their time to renovate all units. All materials, supplies (including linen, kitchenware etc.) and furnishings over the past 3 years have been donated by 21 different local businesses. The renovation of the units, as well as the work done through the Housing and Support Program is regularly reported (positively!!) through local news and in local newspapers. Most importantly, young people accommodated through the program have responded well to having accommodation that is of a very high standard all round and take a great deal of pride in maintaining the units. • A comment from one of the volunteer coordinators ….‘looking to find ways to be affective in the community, it was suggested that we look at the work of Kalyan. We were impressed by the vision to see youth in need given not only a home but through their many connections with other services offered in Mackay an opportunity to advance themselves to become integrated back into the responsibilities of living in our society. Clients receive the benefits of being mentored through the service to find employment, deal with finances and the general management of daily life. I only wish that they had more properties so that they could continue to do more of the great work they do. ‘ (Pastor Jill Hyatt, Mackay Christian Family)

Case Studies…. • Young couple, entered the housing and support program aged 17 and 19 and expecting their first child. Both young people had been accommodated through the shelter on separate occasions after being transitioned from out-of-home care. Young couple were supported through the program to complete further education and training and refine their parenting and living skills. They are now living in private rental with their two young children and young women at 19 completed a Diploma in Early Childhood Studies and was promoted recently to the position of assistant director of an OOSHC program, young man is assistant manager of an electronics store. • Two young males, 17 and 18, one unable to remain at home because of physical and emotional abuse and one unable to remain at home because of overcrowding, were transitioned to the housing and support program and supported to maintain apprenticeships. They were able to secure a private rental 2 bedroom unit together after sharing through the program, they are both still living in the same rental property and completing their apprenticeships. • One young male, left an abusive home at the age of 16, while still in year 11. Was supported through both the shelter and the housing and support program to complete his secondary school education. Exited the program to university, he continues to live independently and work part-time while studying full-time.

Housing and Support Program: Unit 3

Housing and Support: Unit 2

Housing and Support Program: Unit 2

Wrap Up…. Questions? Comments? kalyanceo@bigpond.com.au

Kalyan Youth Service Inc Housing and Support Program….