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Legislative Council - Fifty-Second Parliament, First Session (52-1)
2011-06-22 Daily Xml
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MATTERS OF INTEREST

DISADVANTAGED YOUTH

The Hon. J.M. GAZZOLA (15:25): A few years ago I spoke about programs set up to assist disadvantaged youth and would like to acknowledge government initiatives in furthering help for disadvantaged youth in South Australia. The most recent census shows that in Australia there are around 105,000 homeless people. Of this number, 10 per cent were aged between 18 and 24; 21 per cent were persons aged between 12 and 18; and even more alarming was that 12 per cent were under the age of 12.

Although it is difficult to determine exactly what being homeless is and it is impossible to ever know the exact number, it has been estimated that there are 2,129 homeless teenagers each night in South Australia. This includes those who sleep at friends' places as they do not have a home to go to; those in shelters such as Rubys Reunification; and also people who have to sleep in makeshift homes including bus shelters, parks and on the streets.

As we know, various CEOs and politicians across Australia have taken part in Vinnies CEO Sleepout to raise awareness of the issue and to raise much-needed finance for homelessness projects. They were prepared for a cold and uncomfortable night and what, for them, was a first-hand but one night experience. This event, which took place on 16 June, attracted over 800 business leaders who hoped to raise $4 million to support St Vinnies' work with the homeless.

It was 30 years ago that New York opened up Covenant House, a shelter for homeless teenagers. It was open 24 hours a day. The program, set up to assist young people, has spread across the US and internationally and now aids 77,000 teenagers each year who are at risk or who have run away from home. In South Australia, we have followed the New York example by setting up a program called Rubys Reunification.

Rubys Reunification was established 18 years ago by UnitingCare Wesley and is a service that provides short-term accommodation for teenagers who have left their home or are at risk of leaving home and becoming homeless due to conflict with family, drug or alcohol abuse, family violence or other problems. When the service first opened it was called Aunt Rubys as the team felt that teenagers using the program could tell people that they were staying at Aunt Ruby's. Eventually it changed into Rubys Reunification.

The program assists both the teenager and the parents by providing mandatory counselling sessions weekly to help resolve the issue and reunite the family. Rubys is set up to look like an average house, with normal day-to-day rules that the young men and women must follow. It is supervised 24 hours a day and houses up to eight people—six permanent and two emergency. There are counselling sessions weekly and are essential for all individuals using the program. The counsellors are experienced in dealing with drug and alcohol abuse, violence and other issues of family life. They help to work towards resolving conflict and reuniting the family.

These Therapeutic Youth Services (as they are known) are jointly funded by the commonwealth and state governments. The South Australian government has announced that it will be providing $5.7 million over the next two years to UnitingCare Wesley in order to maintain the existing service located at Thebarton, and a further $995,000 for the three new centres across South Australia.

Up until the beginning of this year, when the new services commenced at Enfield, Edwardstown and Mount Gambier, the Thebarton house had supported over 800 young people, with a 78 per cent success rate in assisting them to return to their home with their family. Already, these new houses have proven to be effective, as just weeks after opening a family was reunited with their son in Mount Gambier. I commend the government for its continued support, assistance and service provision for our vulnerable and disadvantaged youth.

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