Haven for youth helps homeless
AT JUST 20 years old, Sarah Bachmann has faced more challenges than many young people her age.
When her mother died when she was just 10 years old, Ms Bachmann and her twin sister were sent to live with relatives, with her father unable to care for her.
Ms Bachmann spent the next seven years in and out of different homes before finding her way to The Haven, a live-in facility that provided supported accommodation for young people experiencing homelessness on the outskirts of Toowoomba.
After 18 months there, Ms Bachmann said she was ready to move into her own home but found the private rental market daunting and unsympathetic to young people in her situation.
Her lucky break came five months ago, when she was one of 16 young people chosen to be housed in the eight two-bedroom units that form the initial stage of the YellowBridge Youth Matters program.
“It is amazing to have my own place and know that I don’t have to worry about the lease ending and then struggling to find somewhere else to live,” Ms Buchmann said.
“It is reassuring to know that I have a little part of my life that is okay, and I’m going to be okay.
“The people at The Haven and in the Youth Matters program are amazing.
“They have dedicated a lot of hours to me and tried really hard to help me.”
Ms Bachmann said she looked after herself with the money she earned from her part-time job and was keen to continue her studies.
“I love caring for people,” she said.
“I want to help as many people as I can. I am considering studying a Certificate III in Individual Support to become a disability support worker, or potentially aged care or youth support.
“I am feeling really proud of myself and confident that I can have a good future, that I can fall and I can get back up again,” she said.
Earlier this year YellowBridge received a $220,000 grant from Hand Heart Pocket, the charity of Freemasons Queensland, to launch its Youth Matters program with the goal to provide a bed for every young person experiencing homelessness in Toowoomba by 2025.
Youth Matters program manager Donita Bellette said the problem of youth homelessness had only grown worse over the years and was not visible.
“I’ve been working in the sector for 20 years here in Toowoomba and the past two years the problem has exploded,” she said.
“The 2016 census revealed 130 kids a night (are homeless), but … we’re working in the youth sector at the moment and we feel it’s three times higher than that.
“It’s not a visible crisis that we’ve got.”