Anglicare Victoria is very honoured to win a Homelessness Achievement award with Kids Under Cover for the Village 21 project in Preston, CEO Paul McDonald said today.
The award was presented at this week’s Victorian Homelessness Conference run by the Council to Homeless Persons, winning the category of Excellence in Ending Homelessness – Young People.
Village 21 includes accommodation for six young people at risk of homelessness and two mentors, who share a communal kitchen, living, dining and laundry areas.
Mr McDonald said Village 21 gives young people who have grown up in foster care and other kinds of alternative care a supportive environment to transition to independence.
“Combining accommodation with services and support, Village 21 helps young people bridge that gap from surviving to thriving by giving them valuable life skills.
“Live-in mentors help them negotiate some of the rough and tumble of everyday life and prepare them to stand on their own two feet,” Mr McDonald said.
“It was a pleasure to work with Kids Under Cover to bring this project to life, but the real winners of this project are the young people and the mentors involved, who have invested in themselves and each other to make it a success.
“Anglicare Victoria is really proud of this project and this award is great recognition of the hard work of everyone involved.”
Village 21 is a partnership between Anglicare Victoria and Kids Under Cover, which was supported by the Andrews Government, the City of Darebin and others.
