NCJ Number
205908
Journal
Youth Studies Australia Volume: 23 Issue: 2 Dated: June 2004 Pages: 46-50
Date Published
June 2004
Length
5 pages
Annotation
An innovative program in rural Victoria (Australia) matches young homeless women with older homeless women and provides them with a range of support services, so as to bring more stability in the accommodation setting, mutual benefit and satisfaction for clients, and improved rates of permanent housing outcomes.
Abstract
The Young Women's Crisis Accommodation Program (YWCAP) was established in December 2001. It provides crisis accommodation for young women and offers additional services such as social support, counseling, and referrals to other service agencies. A feature of this program is the placement of each of the young women in the program in shared accommodation with two older homeless women. Upon entering the YWCAP, young women sign a 13-day lease and are supported during this period in finding alternative and stable accommodation. A case manager for each woman ensures that the most beneficial combination of clients is achieved by mixing and matching the residents across the three housing properties. An assessment and referral service helps clients resolve accommodation needs and improve their access to a range of social supports and housing. Any client who does not find suitable housing within the 13 days is legally entitled to an extension of their lease for up to 4 months under the Residential Tenancies Act 1997. Clients rarely exit the YWCAP within the 13 days, and the 13-day program is often not sufficiently long for clients to feel comfortable in disclosing their problems. All of the workers involved with the program view the feature of placing a young woman with two older women as beneficial, because it provides the young women an opportunity to form friendships and experience mutual help from more mature women with similar problems. Clients view the interaction with older homeless women as generally positive. The funding formula inherent in the short-term crisis model, however, is inadequate to meet the complex needs of these young women. The 13-day period is too short a time to deal with the kinds of problems typical of the young women coming into the program. Further, a realistic assessment of housing accessibility for the women entering the program must be conducted, given that the chances of a young person, male or female, accessing public housing are very slim. 9 references