Our guest speaker, Sheryn Cooper, provided a summary of the role and activities of the Kids Under Cover organisation.
Kids Under Cover is a not-for-profit organisation dedicated to preventing youth homelessness and it currently operates in Victoria, Queensland and the ACT.
It is estimated that there are currently 116,427 homeless people and 29% of these are under 25 years old. The organisation has assisted over 3,000 young people to date.
The reasons for a homeless status are varied and include trauma and grief, family homes are often overcrowded and mental health issues can really affect relationships within the home. Homelessness can result from having no physical or emotional space at home.
Kids Under Cover provides secure accommodation within the home environment by supplying studios, as well as educational scholarships.
The Scholarship Program helps young people who have the passion and motivation to continue education, but don’t have the resources. These scholarships are helping young people aged 15-25 years old undertake schooling, TAFE, university and job training.
A Kids Under Cover studio ensures families are able to remain connected by giving them additional room to live and providing young people with a safe and secure place to call home, thus giving them a real shot at a brighter future. A future that does not include homelessness.
The studios consisting of one or two bedrooms with a bathroom, are installed in the backyard of existing dwellings to assist families at risk of breakdown. This studio provides support to young people and to their families or carers, while providing a semi-independent living space for the young person to live and study. Once the studio is no longer required, it is relocated to accommodate another young person in need.
The current structure of the studios is prefabricated. A single bedroom studio costs $55,000 to build and a 2-bedroom studio $65,000. They are demountable and able to be flat-packed for relocation. Studios can be constructed and fully fitted within 10 days. They have a life-span of 20 years and can be relocated up to four times.
Partnerships underpin all of the Kids Under Cover work. Funding is provided from variety of partnerships that include the Victorian Government, Philanthropic and Corporate sources.
In addition a Donate Your Car® scheme operates, where cars, boats on trailers, caravans, motorbikes, trucks, tractors, buses and much more can be donated, from which the organisation receives 100% of the sale proceeds. This then goes to preventing youth homelessness
To see the results of a Kids Under Cover case study, view Brittnie's story on YouTube at https://youtu.be/3OFbmr9K2Jw
You can gain more information on the Kids Under Cover activities on their web site at https://www.kuc.org.au/
