HOMELESSNESS
Youturn plays a vital role in delivering Specialist Homelessness Services (SHS) across South East Queensland. We offer both accommodation, providing over 50 beds each night across 20 properties, and comprehensive case management services. Our support is tailored for young people and families who are experiencing or at risk of homelessness, ensuring they receive the care and guidance needed to rebuild their lives.
This year Youturn has also become a provider of the Immediate Housing Response (IHR) program, offering emergency accommodation and rental case management support for single people and couples at risk of homelessness in the Noosa Local Government and Toowoomba Regional Local Government regions. IHR includes support to sustain temporary accommodation, alongside pro-active case management assistance to transition to longer-term housing options.
Youturn’s Money Matters program provides budgeting and money management strategies to people of all ages. Our team helps those experiencing financial hardship, where assistance includes budgeting, negotiating realistic payment plans for debt, advocating to creditors, and referral and information support where suitable.
Our team support
individuals
at risk of or experiencing homelessness; and
families
looking to identify long-term, affordable and sustainable accommodation.
Highlights
A key highlight of our homelessness programs this year has been the success of securing funding for outreach support and enabling our community meals, which have grown significantly in both reach and impact.
Through partnerships with local schools, resorts, and the Department of Housing, our weekly dinners have expanded from serving 4 guests to up to 40 each week, creating valuable opportunities for community interaction and providing support for social housing applications.
In addition to the popular weekly dinners, we have introduced regular BBQ breakfasts in Tewantin and the “Food for Thought” BBQs in Toowoomba, which have received highly positive feedback for connecting community members with essential services. These initiatives are not only addressing immediate needs but also fostering a sense of community and support for those experiencing homelessness.
Other achievements
- Successfully secured funding for outreach homelessness services in the Noosa region, enabling Youturn to provide crucial support to individuals and families experiencing homelessness in this area.
- Obtained funding for the Immediate Housing Response (individuals and couples) initiative, which offers essential housing solutions for couples and individuals on the Sunshine Coast and in Toowoomba. This has provided opportunities for individuals and couples experiencing long-term homelessness to be able to stabilise and search for suitable accommodation with the support of case officers and case management.
- Several clients have successfully transitioned from crisis accommodation into their own stable housing, marking a significant step toward independence and long-term stability.
- Expanded the homelessness team to increase our capacity to support more vulnerable members of the community, ensuring greater access to essential services and care.
- Community access and demand to the kitchen, showers, and laundry facilities at both Tewantin and Toowoomba has significantly increased as a result of our weekly community meals, providing essential services to those in need.
Challenges
- Complexities and client challenges particularly related to domestic violence, mental health, and substance abuse, require more intensive interventions. This growing complexity places additional strain on staff, who must balance crisis support with long-term case management.
- Recruiting skilled staff remains difficult, especially in regional areas, as demand for experienced professionals in areas like mental health and domestic violence rises. The shortage of suitable candidates increases caseloads for existing staff.
- Demand for suitable, affordable and sustainable accommodation far exceeds available resources, leading to capacity issues and longer wait times for support. This sector-wide challenge limits our ability to meet the urgent needs of all who seek help.
Future focus
- Establish a charity op shop where clients can work, volunteer, and engage in meaningful community participation. This initiative will provide valuable work experience and help clients build social connections within the community.
- Expand our outreach services by offering additional meals throughout the week to better support those in need. This increase will enhance our ability to reach more vulnerable individuals and provide consistent, vital support.
- Strengthen partnerships with local businesses to support our community meal programs. By engaging businesses, we hope to secure resources and build a sustainable model for providing regular meals to those in need.
Funders
Our Homelessness Services and Programs are funded by the Department of Communities, Housing and Digital Economy and Queensland Government Department of Treaty, Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander Partnerships, Communities and the Arts.
CASE STUDY
Jess’s Journey to Independence
Jess* came to Youturn’s Golden Beach crisis accommodation after a breakdown in relationships with both her parents, along with experiencing Family and Domestic Violence at the hands of her partner and a member of his family. With no stable home, minimal work experience, a history of drug and alcohol abuse, and no savings, Jess faced an uphill battle. She also lacked a driver’s license and had been out of school for some time, leaving her feeling stuck and unsure of her next steps.
During her time at Golden Beach, Jess received extensive support from the Youturn team. She was encouraged to pursue employment or further study and successfully enrolled in and completed a Certificate III in Community Services. Staff helped her apply for a domestic violence payment, assisted her in developing crucial life skills such as cooking, and supported her through 15 additional hours of driving lessons. With Youturn’s guidance, Jess attended medical appointments to support her mental health and was able to reconnect with her mother, successfully reuniting for her birthday.
Over time, Jess built her confidence and began applying for jobs, eventually securing employment in the Aged Care industry. With a clear savings goal in mind, Jess was able to save enough for a bond and private rent, successfully transitioning into share accommodation. Through her determination and the ongoing support from Youturn, Jess has achieved financial stability, is rebuilding family connections, and has gained the independence she had long sought.
*Name changed
Having a safe place where I could make my own decisions and take control of my life made all the difference. The support and encouragement I received not only helped me rebuild my confidence but also showed me that I could achieve so much more than I ever thought possible.
Resident
CASE STUDY
*Carol and *Jim, both over 70 years of age, worked extremely hard to make their living. Carol, as a cleaner and Jim as a farmer on their own family farm.
The couple first reached out to Youturn’s Money Matters program after becoming involved in what they thought was an online investment group. Since becoming involved in the group, Carol and Jim had not been able to pay their mortgage, and had struggled with their bills. After struggling for four years, the couple realised that this investment group was in fact a scam.
With their mortgage in arrears, their bank had started to take legal action and were preparing to foreclose. Jim had always planned to sell their farm to their two sons, however the bank was not in favour of this and was insisting on selling the farm on the open market.
After engaging with a Financial Resilience Worker through Money Matters, Carol and Jim were able to secure grants to pay their outstanding bills and make an official report to Scam Watch.
With help from our Financial Counsellor who was able to liaise with the bank, Carol and Jim were able to arrange the sale of their farm to their two sons as they had always hoped.
Having sold the farm to their sons, Carol and Jim have put a legal granny flat arrangement in place providing them somewhere to live for the rest of their lives, and with the earnings from the sale they have fully repaid their mortgage debt to the bank.
They are both now receiving the full Age Pension. Jim is no longer sending money to the online investment scammers, and they are both able to retire from work comfortably after so many years of hard work.
*Names Changed
MENTAL HEALTH
