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Give young people in crisis the safety and support they need this Christmas.
From hospital to homelessness
When Kate* came to BYS at 17 years of age, she had just spent three months in a psychiatric hospital.
Like many of the resilient young people we meet, her early life was marked by challenges, neglect, and instability.
“The abuse at home was so bad it was starting to trigger seizures, and I had a nervous breakdown.”
When she was finally well enough to leave, her parents said she couldn’t come home.
“And that’s how I ended up homeless."
This Christmas, there are many more young people like Kate with no safe place to call home.
Your gift today can help open doors – not just to safe housing, but to a whole new future.
*Name and image has been changed to protect privacy
From homelessness to hope
The BYS housing team soon found a place for Kate at Windsor House – one of our 24-hour staffed accommodation services for young people aged 16-18.
"For a long time I didn’t trust that I was safe anywhere, but the workers there went above and beyond to support me."
While at Windsor House, Kate completed her high school education and started her nursing studies at TAFE.
"My brain slowly adjusted to the calm, and knowing I was safe, I stopped feeling the same anxiety all the time."
No young person left behind
Just as Kate was adjusting to her new sense of safety and calm, she suffered a devastating illness that left her unable to walk.
Finding Kate a safe home that was also accessible was a huge challenge – but we never gave up. With support and advocacy from BYS, in August Kate opened the doors to her new, permanent, wheelchair-accessible home.
“I still can’t really believe it’s happened."
Even with brief intervention, we know that young people can move out of crisis and thrive in the community.
With your support we can give young people the long-term, wrap-around support they need for a better, brighter future.
Almost 10,000 extra occasions of support
Never in our history have we seen such high numbers of young people come through our doors.
Over the past year alone, we've provided almost 10,000 extra occasions of support to young people.
Early intervention is vital to break the cycle of family violence and homelessness, ensuring young people receive safety and support quickly so they can overcome trauma and build stable, thriving futures.
Your gift today can help us be there for the rising number of young people in need this Christmas.
How your gift helps
These are just some of the positive outcomes for young people we have achieved over the past year.
HOUSING
86%
Decrease in young people living in unsafe housing
MENTAL HEALTH
good or great mental health more than
tripled
VIOLENCE
58%
indicated that their violence situations were a bit or much better after coming to BYS
