Youth Foyer gives vulnerable young people in Melbourne’s south-east a chance for a better future

The Brotherhood of St Laurence and Hanover Welfare Services welcomed today’s announcement by Minister Lovell of the Victorian Government's second youth foyer to be operated at Holmesglen TAFE, Waverley Campus.

A Youth Foyer provides the opportunity for highly disadvantaged young people, aged between 16 and 25 years, to gain an education and ultimately to become employed. It offers purpose-built student-style accommodation whilst studying at an adjacent education facility.

Both Hanover and the Brotherhood of St Laurence said they were very pleased to be able to assist in establishing the Holmesglen Foyer program and managing its first year of operations. The Government will then proceed to tender for an ongoing service provider once the Youth Foyer is operational.

“The best thing we can do for highly disadvantaged young people is to enable them to become educated so that they can build a good life for themselves through being employed.

The great thing about the Youth Foyer approach is that it recognises that the accommodation and welfare assistance offered to them must be shaped by this objective,” Tony Nicholson, Executive Director of the Brotherhood of St Laurence, said.

The Youth Foyer is the only model of its kind linking secure affordable accommodation, to training, employment, health and wellbeing services and social participation.

Tony Keenan, Hanover Chief Executive and President of Foyer Foundation, explained, “Youth Foyers are about providing a long term support to ensure that the most disadvantaged young Victorians gets a genuine chance to succeed in life. This is cutting edge social welfare policy and we know it works.

”Both organisations congratulated the Victorian Government for delivering the second foyer“The youth foyers represent a great new offer for young Victorians.”

Independent evaluations of Youth Foyers operating in the United Kingdom showed that 75 per cent of young people exited foyers successfully engaged in further education, employment or both.

Foyers are aimed at young people who are without family support and unable to live at home, but whom are keen to remain in education. The Holmesglen Foyer will accommodate 40 students and will be staffed 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.