Great SMH article highlighting the outcomes the Foyer approach can have for so many young people.
Ty Courtney, Tilli Trindall, Tyrah Chan-Hampton and Aaron Brennan are hoping for a different path. They are among 48 young people living in Foyer Central in Chippendale, a two-year program that social services organisation Uniting started a year ago to help young people transition from the care system to independent living.
These young people are adamant they would not have had the skills to move out of home without the support of Foyer Central.
“If I hadn’t moved into The Foyer, I’d be in jail. It’s that black and white,” said Brennan.
Courtney says “The key for him was that the support from The Foyer was “not in-your-face parenting but shadow parenting” where the young people run their own lives and staff provide backup support when needed.
Uniting is working towards accreditation under the Foyer model, which developed in Britain and is about providing a full-service transition program for young people to move from welfare and service dependence with a focus on educational and employment outcomes. Other Foyer operators in Australia include The Brotherhood of St Laurence in Victoria.
Participants pay rent for their rooms and must abide by a tenancy agreement – and will have a rental reference to show for it – and they are coached in life skills such as cooking, cleaning, personal finance, employment skills, mental health, and respectful relationships.
