Housing goals: Rumbalara Better Futures and Home Stretch worker Brenton White, Targeted Care Packages support worker Keyara Boland and executive manager of family and engagement services Susan Williams.
Photo by
Grace Carter
This Thursday, young people will be given a platform to share their stories and for people to listen at Rumbalara’s Daborra Gundja ‘pathway home’ event.
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Rumabalara executive manager of family and engagement services Susan Williams said the Victorian Government-funded Better Futures and Home Stretch programs were about trying to get young people from out-of-home care into independent living when they were ready for the next step.
“The issue is young people have no rental references. It makes it really hard, and particularly if you’re an Aboriginal person, you’re really disadvantaged,” she said.
“Part of this project is about giving young people the opportunity. We really want to support them; that’s what it’s all about.”
Building stability: Rumbalara executive manager of family and engagement services Susan Williams believes the Better Futures and Home Stretch programs are about providing young people with the skills to be independent.
Photo by
Grace Carter
Rumbalara has already connected with PRD Real Estate Shepparton and Your Sold Real Estate to help provide young people with independent living.
The Daborra Gundja event’s aim is to form connections with real estate agents willing to give young people a chance to build up their independence, especially given the current rental market.
“We’ve found that, given the last couple of years, rental properties have been much harder to get,” Ms Williams said.
“We want to give young people an opportunity to demonstrate to the real estates that they can actually pay their rent back, and keep it clean and maintained.
“They’re the things that we’re hoping the real estates will really look at.”
Better Futures team leader Stuart Dignall said that rather than just giving someone a rental property, the Rumabalara staff would ensure the young person was ready for the responsibility.
“We don’t just throw young people into houses when we don’t think they’re ready, because that then is going to affect all our other young people,” he said.
“We make sure that they are ready to go into independent living, and then we support them through that.”
Ms Williams said Rumbalara wanted to form strong connections with real estate agents.
“It’s about giving young people a go. Just because they don’t have experience doesn’t mean that they can’t look after a house,” she said.
“We wouldn’t put any young person into accommodation. They’ve got to be ready and mature enough to understand that this is their responsibility; otherwise, you’re setting them up to fail.”
The Daborra Gundja event will feature a presentation on Better Futures and Home Stretch, with young people, including Rumbalara Targeted Care Packages support worker Keyara Boland, sharing their stories with the program.
Young voices: Rumbalara Targeted Care Packages support worker Keyara Boland will share her experience with the programs.
Photo by
Grace Carter
Mr Dignall said the event had been in the works for six months, and it would be great for real estate agents to see the success the program had provided to other people.
“We’ve got no kids that need any houses (at the moment). We just want to create more opportunities for people that might be keen,” Mr Dignall said.
“Even if we just capture one landlord who’s willing to do it, then that’s going to create a little stability for someone.
“At the end of the day, people have stories to tell, and we just want them to hear about the work being done and how it’s been a benefit.”
Rumbalara’s Daborra Gundja event is this Thursday, February 22, at 11am at the Shepparton Art Museum.
For more information or to RSVP for the event, contact Stuart Dignall on 0408 381 713.
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