Antonio Winterstein opens first Set to Succeed home to help Indigenous youth find homes to stay in work
A Cowboys legend has helped launch supportive housing for Indigenous Australian youth from regional Qld stay in Townsville for work. Here’s how it works.
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A Cowboys legend has helped launch supportive housing for Indigenous Australian youth settling into Townsville from regional Queensland.
Not-for-profit organisation, Set To Succeed, has launched a one-year pilot program that provides safe supportive housing for First Nations young people aged 17 to 21, who are completing education and apprenticeships in Townsville-based businesses.
Its founder and director is Antonio Winterstein – a former Cowboys player who was part of the team’s epic 2015 premiership – who helped launch two houses designed to fit six people for the year.
With the first Kelso property being opening earlier this week, Winterstein said this was crucial to help young people stay in Townsville to achieve their dreams.
“There’s no cohort more deserving of this concept than our young people communities who have done the hard yards at relocating at a young age to achieve their QCD’s (Qualification in Career Development) and graduate high school,” Winterstein said.
“It’s really disheartening to see them return back to communities and give up those employment opportunities here in the bigger city of Townsville because of that lack of support around accommodation.”
With the accommodation market getting increasingly slim, young people without a rental history have great difficulty finding a place to stay while completing their education.
The program that helps fill that gap, while simultaneously calling for larger funding to help more young people pursue their dream careers.
“This pilot program just gives us an opportunity to prove that the model works, in order for us to receive further funding to replicate this model at a larger scale,” he said.
The program’s first participant, Kailan Rainbow, 18, said that this program made a drastic difference to her life while she completed her panelbeating apprenticeship.
“I’m from Normanton which is about nine/ten hours away,” Ms Rainbow said.
“It’s helping [my living conditions] … to stay stable because I really like my job. I love my job and I want to finish it.”
“I definitely want a trade in this so this is kind of a huge help.”
The other resident, Tenason Stark, 21, is the property manager who said the program does more than just give stable housing to young people.
“It’s more than delivering housing … It’s also about life skills,” Mr Stark said.
“So it’s learning how to go to the shops and what to buy. Later down the track, they’ll be obtaining [car] licenses – all of those life skills.”
CEO of Set To Succeed Krissy Regan said this program could be expanded to a large scale project in the future.
“There’s nothing to stop us from having a Set To Succeed style program in Ingham and Charters Towers and other regional towns and cities. So really, the sky’s the limit,” she said.
“In short distance, to have a pilot program with five young people and our house manager up and running … is a great first”.
Originally published as Antonio Winterstein opens first Set to Succeed home to help Indigenous youth find homes to stay in work
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