{"id":294135,"date":"2021-02-03T20:26:05","date_gmt":"2021-02-03T10:26:05","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/?p=294135"},"modified":"2021-06-30T16:29:10","modified_gmt":"2021-06-30T06:29:10","slug":"urgent-plea-for-homeless-help","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/southburnett.com.au\/news2\/2021\/02\/03\/urgent-plea-for-homeless-help\/","title":{"rendered":"Urgent Plea For Homeless Help"},"content":{"rendered":"
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CTC Hostel Manager Tom Martin and Team Leader Nick Krauksts … urgent plea for funding<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n\n\n\n
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Hostel Closure
\n‘Would Be ‘Devastating’<\/strong><\/p>\n

South Burnett CTC has approached local MP Deb Frecklington in a bid to get the State Government to listen to their plea for help.<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mrs Frecklington, above, said the current funding the hostel received only kept it open and was about one-third the cost per bed of support received by similar facilities.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“The reason why CTC has been running the hostel so successfully on behalf of the community is because they had a volunteer in there for seven years,” she said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“If the hostel closes, what happens to those kids?\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

“They are at risk for their own safety.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“But some of these kids who don’t have a warm bed and a full belly in desperation will possibly end up committing crimes.”\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

Mrs Frecklington said the closure of the hostel would have a “devastating impact” to the community as well as the young people.<\/strong><\/p>\n

\u00a0“My concern is the Minister’s ignorance to the situation and refusing to answer it,” she said.<\/strong><\/p>\n

“We have sent an urgent letter to Leeanne Enoch because we need the Minister to understand the urgent nature of it.”<\/strong><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n

February 3, 2021<\/strong><\/p>\n

The South Burnett’s only emergency accommodation for young people could close if a request for $150,000 in funding from the State Government is not approved urgently.<\/p>\n

South Burnett CTC’s Youth Hostel in Kingaroy provides accommodation for people aged from 16-21 who are homeless but who are not in the residential care system with the Department of Child Safety.<\/p>\n

It provided 1823 bed nights during the past 12 months.<\/p>\n

The hostel is funded to provide five beds every night, but currently operates six; the next nearest hostels are in Gympie and Toowoomba.<\/p>\n

Team Leader Nick Krauksts said CTC put in an urgent request for extra funding last September through the regular departmental channels.<\/p>\n

They believe their request was then forwarded to then-Housing Minister Mick de Brenni.<\/p>\n

With the Cabinet reshuffle in November, responsibility now lies with Minister Leeanne Enoch.<\/p>\n

But since then they have heard nothing …<\/p>\n

Nick said the extra funding was necessary to provide live-in supervision from 5:00pm to 9:00am at the hostel.<\/strong><\/p>\n

For the past seven years, this position – which is a paid role at similar hostels in other parts of Queensland – has been filled by a volunteer.<\/p>\n

Unfortunately for CTC, and the young people needing the hostel, the volunteer retired last year and has since moved to the United States.<\/p>\n

Not only did he have the skills and experience to supervise the young people, but he also looked after the practical side of running the hostel, such as shopping.<\/p>\n

After he left, CTC advertised for a replacement volunteer to fill the role, but none of the applicants had the unusual skillset – experience, training and patience – required.<\/p>\n

This means the hostel has had to turn away some young people recently and decline referrals from other agencies.\u00a0 \u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

“For example, we can’t accept people who are on bail at the moment, which is putting pressure on other services as well,” Nick said.<\/p>\n

But it would be wrong to think all the young people at the hostel are in trouble with the justice system.<\/p>\n

Many are homeless for reasons outside their control, including being forced to leave home.<\/p>\n

Some have been couch-surfing with friends, but this cannot continue forever.<\/p>\n

\u00a0“A lot of the young people we deal with come from bad situations,” hostel manager Tom Martin said.\u00a0“They are in crisis.”\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

The Youth Hostel provides stability for its residents, encouraging them to attend school, seek employment and move into their own accommodation.<\/p>\n

They learn life skills such as how to live in a group house and share chores, or if in need of greater assistance are referred to other services which deal with issues such as sexual assault.<\/p>\n

CTC works with the young people to develop a care plan to help them achieve their goals.<\/p>\n

And it appears to work … with many moving out into their own rentals after staying at the hostel.<\/p>\n

Nick does not understand why the overnight role – which the State Government funds at other hostels – cannot be funded in Kingaroy.<\/strong><\/p>\n

He pointed out the volunteer had been saving the State Government hundreds of thousands of dollars over the past seven years.<\/p>\n

CTC has applied for $150,000 but estimates the total cost of role will be about $163,000 – which CTC funds will top up – to cover on-costs as well as wages, superannuation and a sleepover allowance.<\/p>\n

Young people with an income are charged $210 a fortnight which covers their food, water, electricity, internet, bedding and toiletries.<\/p>\n

“If they don’t have an income, we don’t charge anything until they get an income, and it is not backdated,” Nick said.<\/p>\n

“The goal is to get them housed, to provide a safe roof over their heads.”<\/p>\n

As well as accommodation, CTC’s specialist homeless service also provides support for young people at risk of being homeless.<\/strong><\/p>\n

This would also disappear if the program ceased.<\/p>\n

Also disappearing would be the advice CTC provides informally to older homeless people in the area which points them in the right direction to get assistance.<\/p>\n

The nearest formal Housing Service Centre which can provide the same information is in Maryborough.<\/p>\n

“If we can’t sustain the level of funding, who will pick up the pieces?” Nick asked.<\/p>\n

“It is going to put a lot of pressure on other services – and they will end up asking the State Government for more funding themselves.”<\/p>\n

So what is the position right now?<\/strong><\/p>\n

“It’s getting pretty bad,” Nick said. “We’re rejecting referrals and having to eject people when they get too difficult, which we wouldn’t do if we had an adult presence.”<\/p>\n

Tom stressed that CTC does not want to evict people.<\/p>\n

“It’s a big deal for us,” he said. “A good outcome for us is when someone asks us for help because they are moving into their own place.”<\/p>\n