Youth Off The Streets

Youth Off The Streets began as an idea with Chris Riley operating a single food van that provided meals to homeless young people in Kings Cross, Sydney, New South Wales. As of January 2023, the program is called Dunlea Alcohol and Other Drugs Youth Service. In 1996, Youth Off The Streets opened its first independent high school: Key College, Redfern. Key College caters to young people aged between 14 and 18 who have become disconnected from mainstream education. Riley also developed and implemented strategies that were supposed to help young people deal with trauma, abuse and neglect. Several of these strategies – including the Values Education Service Learning Curriculum – have been adopted by schools and government agencies across Australia. Additionally, Riley assisted young people overseas in East Timor after independence in 2002. Following the 2004 Indian Ocean earthquake and tsunami, Youth Off The Streets helped build an orphanage in Aceh, Indonesia. The not-for-profit Youth Off The Streets Overseas Relief Fund was established to work on small projects alongside local partners, providing assistance to children and young people, including housing, education, health and welfare facilities and programs. == Youth services ==

Homelessness and housing Youth Off The Streets provides various homelessness and housing support services for young people aged 25 and under. These services include prevention and early intervention support, crisis accommodation in two youth refuges, transitional housing, one-on-one casework support and referrals to other specialist services. Education Youth Off The Streets operates six independent high schools that are registered and accredited with the New South Wales Education Standards Authority (NESA). Alcohol and other drugs Youth Off The Streets’ Dunlea Alcohol and Other Drugs Youth Service aims to help young people in Western Sydney aged 13 to 19 take control of their drug use. The program works with young people and their families and aspires to help them break the cycle of drug misuse, set personal goals and build the foundations for a healthy life. These services include a specialist Alcohol and Other Drugs Counsellor at its Dunlea service, Youth justice Youth Off The Streets provides one-on-one support and services to young people involved with or at risk of being involved with the justice system. These services include specialist casework, diversion programs, therapeutic pathways and a court support program. The Cultural Development team works with the organisation to determine that the rights and needs of young people from diverse cultural backgrounds are reflected in its services and programs. Its National Scholarship Program has been running since 2004 and provides financial assistance, mentoring and other support to young people engaged in training or further education. Community engagement Youth Off The Streets provides a range of activities and support services to young people aged 12–25 across Greater Sydney, regional NSW and some areas of Queensland and Victoria. It runs youth spaces in Blacktown, Merrylands, Weston and Logan, as well as the Koch Centre for Youth and Learning in Macquarie Fields and the Cordeaux Centre for Youth and Learning in the Illawarra. Street Walk and Food Van Youth Off The Streets’ Street Walk program runs on multiple nights every week, providing support to homeless and vulnerable young people in Sydney's CBD, Inner West, and surrounding areas. The Food Van operates every night of the year and travels between Darlinghurst and Green Park in Sydney. == Funding ==

Youth Off The Streets is a registered charity with the Australian Charities and Not-for-profits Commission. The organisation receives income from federal, state and local governments, corporate partnerships and fundraising activities. == See also ==