The Geelong Project

Philanthropic Funding for TGP

clare — Wed, 19 Nov 2014 05:38:13 +0000

Please see attached media article on the recently announced $300 000 grant from Lord Mayor’s Charitable Foundation (LMCF) for an enhanced trial of our innovative, early intervention platform for vulnerable youth. Thanks to philanthropy further youth will be identified early and supported to prevent homelessness, school drop out, justice issues and receive help with mental health issues, family conflict and adolescent troubles. This platform does work, will prevent crises and is cost-effective for government and the community. LMCF is funding the vital components of project management (including privacy impact assessments & cost-benefit analyses with Give Where You Live), partnership work, research support and systems development.

A huge thank you goes to LMCF who have recognised our great work to date and are backing the future reform this project can achieve. Together with this funding the community of Geelong has raised $4.1 m in staffing, funding & in-kind support. If and when the service delivery arm is funded by government to build a specialised early intervention team and integrated platform with community services and schools, over 1300 youth in need in Greater Geelong will be supported.

YACVic and community support still strong for TGP

clare — Thu, 16 Oct 2014 04:39:50 +0000

We are excited to see that The Geelong Project (TGP) is listed as a funding priority in the 2014 YACVic Election Platform. It’s great to see the continuing support we have in the local and wider community for our early intervention model that can continue to prevent homelessness, school drop-out and offer early identification and support for a range of complex risk factors.

On page 7 under Housing you will see YACVic list TGP under ‘What is Needed’:

Support innovative, cross-sector initiatives which have demonstrated success in bringing together services, schools and local government to ensure safe, sustainable housing for vulnerable young people, while also reducing school disengagement and addressing mental health problems. (One example is the Geelong Project, currently seeking support to continue and extend their work.)

As with G21 Geelong Region Alliance listing TGP as a Priority Project under their Education and Training Pillar, each Geelong Mayor showing their support and publicly commenting on the success of the model in media (including Cr. Lyons who has written to the Victorian Premier about this work), our growing list of signed up Community Stakeholders (page 10 of the Exec. Summary document), Victorian Minister for Community Services, The Hon. Mary Wooldridge’s praise of our early intervention platform, the outcomes seen with the youth supported and the bi-partisan support of the local MP’s goes to show that what we are doing does work, does need funding and is the answer to preventing a further increase to the already growing demand on crisis services. By identifying youth early and offering the right support at the right time through a streamlined, integrated, ‘whole of community’ early intervention platform, youth homelessness, school drop out and other risk factors can be prevented.

Thanks to the Youth Affairs Council of Victoria, G21 Geelong Region Alliance and all of the many and varied supporters we have who believe this model is valuable and a worthwhile investment for our youth, our community and for government. Thank you to the amazing work you continue to do and for showing your support for the work we can achieve together.

Local Fundraiser for homelessness

clare — Fri, 10 Oct 2014 04:11:50 +0000

Please support this great Geelong event that @anywhereButaBed and the Lions Club of Corio Norlane are organising. It will raise money which will be directly used to purchase swags to be utilised in the Geelong region. You can help by:

Registering and coming along on the night (register by email at richardw2058@gmail.com)
Forwarding this info among you networks
Pledge a donation.

Sleep in Centenary Hall Flyer 31 October 2014

Project Achievements

amy — Mon, 02 Sep 2013 02:00:37 +0000

This innovative service developed in Geelong, based on a whole of community approach, has proven effective in diverting our young people from homelessness and keeping them engaged in school. During the pilot phase of less than one full year, The Geelong Project proactively identified and intervened with 95 young people and 43 family members, where homelessness and school disengagement were identified at high risk. Without targeted intervention there is significant risk of the young person becoming homelessness and leaving school early.

Following TGP’s intervention:
• 100% of the young people have remained engaged in school, increased engagement or returned to school (who were not attending regularly)
• 100% of the young people supported have retained or obtained safe sustainable accommodation (86.2% remained in or returned home (after leaving or regularly couch-surfing), 13.8% supported into alternative accommodation when home was not appropriate)

Student Needs Surveys

handbuilt_admin — Mon, 05 Aug 2013 07:34:54 +0000

The Geelong Project team are currently rolling out the second round of Student Needs Surveys (SNS) within our partnering schools and alternative education settings. The data received from these surveys will assist school staff in identifying students in need of support and will provide a ‘whole of school’ report on at-risk numbers of students in their school. The results will also provide vital research into carrying out effective early intervention work into homelessness. The survey has been developed by Swinburne University and we are estimating that approximately 8000 – 9000 students will take part in the survey.

If you are an existing school partner with the project and have a query in relation to the current SNS roll out, or if you are not engaged with the project or the SNS, and would like to be, please contact our team at thegeelongproject@timeforyouth.org