NT government plans for Alice Springs youth foyer fall short

The Territory remains one of the only jurisdictions without a youth foyer, a specialised service proven to get kids off the street. Read why plans for an Alice Springs foyer fell short.

A specialised service for Alice Springs youth to get out of the cycle of homelessness has been unable to get off the ground, despite the government making it a priority five years ago.

Youth foyers exist in all Australian jurisdictions besides the Northern Territory and Tasmania and provide accommodation, support services and education and training pathways to young people for up to two years.

Research shows about 80 per cent of young people who enter youth foyers exit into stable housing, with 65 per cent gaining secure employment.

In the NT Government’s 2018 – 2023 Homelessness Strategy, creating a youth foyer proposal was listed as a “priority” to assist young people sleeping rough.

Artist's rendition of a 40-unit Youth Foyer in Gulliver, Townsville. There are 15 youth foyers across Australia, but none of them are located in the Territory.

“Through this strategy, DLGHCD will explore potential options to establish a Youth Foyer model that considers the NT’s unique context and issues associated with youth homelessness,” it reads.

However, a Territory, Families, Housing and Communities spokesman said plans to establish an Alice Springs youth foyer had fallen through last year.

“Youth Foyers aim to support more young people to transition from being dependent on welfare and government services to being able to maintain their own accommodation,” he said.

“Territory Families, Housing and Communities was working with non-government agencies last year to establish a Youth Foyer Model in Alice Springs however, a finalised agreement was unable to be reached.

The Labor government made an election promise to build a $10m Alice Springs youth foyer in a press conference at Tangentyere Council in 2019.

“TFHC continues to work towards a Youth Foyer model in Alice Springs including looking at the availability of providers, sustainable funding sources and a suitable location.”

A Youth foyer has been flagged as a need federally, with the then-opposition Labor Party promising to establish a $10m Alice Springs Indigenous Education First Youth Foyer if elected in 2019.

At the time, MP Linda Burney described the foyer as filling an “enormous gap for young people, particularly in Alice Springs”.