Jesse Miller advocates for Home Stretch, funding for those leaving foster care

A Hamlyn Heights young adult who grew up in the foster care system, is calling for more support for fostered children beyond their 18th birthday.

Jesse Miller, 20, has told his story of transitioning from foster care to being an adult. Picture: Alison Wynd

A Hamlyn Heights man who aged out of out-of-home-care, is calling for more support for foster children beyond their 18th birthday.

Jesse Miller, now 20, was just two-years-old when he was placed in out-of-home care.

For nearly two years he was moved around the state, between emergency carers.

At four, he was placed in Anakie with a woman Raelene Barnes and her eight biological children.

“I was meant to be there for five days,” he said.

Now, 16 years later, he’s still living with his now long-term foster family in Hamlyn Heights.

“It was really nurturing and restorative,” he said.

Mr Miller, who hopes to one day join the police force, said this stability and support helped him greatly.

“When I turned 18 I knew I still had a family, a home to live in,” Mr Miller said.

“I have six biological siblings, and I was in nowhere near as vulnerable as they were.”

Mr Miller said for other children in residential care their 18th birthdays meant losing all financial, practical and emotional support.

He said he knew others who had turned to drugs or took the “wrong way” in life when leaving care or simply had nowhere to go, with care leavers making up 63 per cent of the Australian homeless youth.

That was why, Mr Miller said, at 16 he began advocating for support to continue to 21.

He was selected to be part of the Minister’s Youth Advisory Group when the group was advocating for national advocacy campaign ‘Home Stretch’ to pass parliament – and succeeded

The campaign aimed extend the leaving care age for young people in out-of-home care from 18 to 21 years in all Australian jurisdictions.

It was first rolled out in Victoria in 2019.

About 2400 young people have been supported statewide since, Mr Miller among them.

“Because of Home Stretch, until I’m 21 I’ve got that support and ability to set myself up well for my 20s and beyond,” he said.

Home Stretch provides an accommodation allowance, case work support and flexible funding to facilitate the young person’s access to education, employment and health and wellbeing support.

Since 2019, the Victorian Government has invested more than $100m to support the expansion and ongoing delivery of Home Stretch.

Anglicare Victoria chief executive Paul McDonald said Home Stretch had been “life saving”.

“When the Home Stretch campaign began in 2016, foster care and other types of state care were cut off at the age of 18 in every state and territory,” he said.

“State care has now been extended to 21 all across Australia, but the job is not finished.

“We would like to see governments prioritise this group of young people after they leave care, for services such as health, accommodation, education and employment.”

Originally published as Jesse Miller advocates for Home Stretch, funding for those leaving foster care