Youth charity pleads for more help

The founder of a Gold Coast charity helping steer troubled young people away from a life of crime has made an impassioned plea to a parliamentary committee for more support.

Esuarve founder Joseph Te Puni-Fromont told a hearing into youth justice reform sitting at Southport that his organisation had achieved remarkable results despite having a staff of only three people and surviving on minimal funding, the majority from corporate donations.

Mr Te Puni-Fromont said a recent study by Bond University and the Queensland Police Service into outcomes for 50 young people showed 74 per cent had earned full or part time employment and 13 per cent returned to school.

Of the 50, only one had reoffended and been reincarcerated. “We get a quarter of what we need,” he said.

“We are doing this with a team of three. We’re passionate and we’re frustrated at the same time. We’re fighting to keep our doors open.”

Fight 4 Youth director Leisa Logan said the Currumbin Waters-based group faced being unable to continue due to a lack of funding.

She said the group, which also runs successful early intervention programs helping troubled youth, had last week been told the rent on its premises was being raised by $1000 a week.

“We get no funding at all whatsoever,” Ms Logan said.

“I work 60 hours a week unpaid and work my paid job at weekends.”

Ms Logan said she had made multiple applications for state government grants without success.

She said the average cost for a young person taking part in the group’s 10-week program was $5.43 a day, as against the $268 a day it cost to keep a young person in detention.