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Youth Housing Opportunity for Christchurch Youth
Youth Housing Opportunity for Christchurch Youth
The Christchurch YMCA is proud to announce the launch of its Youth Housing Opportunity Project this week – a new opportunity for young people (aged 16-18) who need to live in a supported but independent environment.
The Christchurch YMCA is already home to a number of tertiary students and other young people, while simultaneously providing high quality tourist and conference accommodation for adults.
The Youth Housing Opportunity Project is about extending our current accommodation services to include a dedicated youth worker and safe housing for young people.
The YMCA is an organisation which values young people as a key part of the community – running a multitude of programmes and services for youth year round. It is a privilege and an honour to be in a position to be able to provide part of the answer to the very real youth housing issues that the city faces.
The young people this project will help are those who are unable to live at home with caregivers at this time. The YMCA's Youth Housing youth worker will provide support and guidance as these youth continue with their education or employment. Referrals to the project will be via Work and Income NZ.
The project has been funded in the main by the Community Response Fund (Ministry of Social Development).
“Young people in our communities who come from dysfunctional or very deprived families are often labelled unfairly - adults commonly opining that they deserve what they get. In most cases these young people have had a terrible life not of their making. I am optimistic that the YMCA can provide love and hope for a group of youth who have bright futures with the right support.” said Josie Ogden Schroeder, Chief Executive Officer of the YMCA.
“The staff at the YMCA – particularly working in our accommodation services – are mostly parents who work hard and are natural role models for young people. They work for the Y so as to make a difference for our communities.”
“This project is the result of the work and dedication of a large number of people – from the youth work, not-for-profit, government and business sectors – to find some solutions for young people who have been let down by their families or the 'system.'”
Safe, supported youth housing is something which has been lacking in Christchurch for many years and this is but one of a number of initiatives that has resulted from the Youth Work sector actively working for better lives for young people.
“The YMCA staff are very pleased and proud that we are able to help.”
ENDS
YMCA
Building strong kids, strong families and strong communities
The Y has been in New Zealand for over 168 years, building strong kids, strong families and strong communities. There are 48 Y centres across New Zealand.
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